Love ConnectionsPart 24 of the series
by Justright
Summary: Are we destined to be with the ones we love? Maybe our souls follow each other through the ages...
1. Default Chapter

Love Connections  
  
  
He stood in the dark apartment, deep in thoughts. The plan was going well, although an unexpected hurdle had arisen. However, he knew how to turn this to his advantage. "Soon," the darklighter said aloud, "soon, you'll be mine…"  
  
Paige felt like her life was turning around, and for the best, as things stood. She had found a new job, one that was more rewarding, although still clerical. Then, there was Matthew, which she found to be more wonderful every day. After their first improvised lunch date, they had seen each other every chance they got. As a matter of fact, she was just knocking on his door. It was her first visit to his apartment. However, by now they were very comfortable with each other, and gone was the fear of her first attempt to come here. In a way, she had the distinct impression that they had known each other for much longer than two weeks…  
  
Matthew was taking a little longer than she expected before answering the door, and Paige wondered if she had gotten the time wrong…  
She was almost ready to leave when the door opened on a dark apartment. And most importantly, on Matthew, who apologetically motioned her to come inside.   
"Sorry it took so long, I was taking a nap."  
  
Paige smiled brightly:  
"That's fine. Are you ready?"  
  
Matthew smiled back and her heart jumped. God, he was so handsome… She knew for a fact that she was falling hard for the guy and she hoped that he felt the same.  
"As ready as I will be. Want a tour? It won't be a very long one; my apartment is rather small…"  
  
Paige entered hesitantly; the place was very poorly lit.  
Matthew seemed to notice her squinting because he apologized again.  
"Oh sorry!"  
Matthew went to open the curtain and the sunlight bathed the apartment, which was indeed small, but tastefully decorated. Just as Paige would have guessed, it reflected who he was, simple, yet classy.  
"This is lovely!"  
  
"You really think so? I still can't afford anything more, but I'm told that I'm in for a promotion soon. Hopefully, I'll be able to move to bigger and better…"  
  
Paige smiled distractedly as her thoughts had taken a very different turn at this point. She was standing in the living room and could see the small kitchen to her left, but the closed door in front of her, she was certain was gave on the bedroom… The other night, when they had kissed for the first time on her front steps, she had been very tempted to invite him in for the night. Their kiss had quickly become passionate and she had known right then what they meant by the earth trembled. For the next few nights, her dreams had been rather lustful, and she had pain to hide what she thought at the moment. Nevertheless, Paige believed that she had, until she noticed his stare. Certain that Matthew had guessed at what she was thinking, she blushed slightly. But whatever he had seen, he didn't tell. Instead, he took her arm.  
"So, seen enough?"  
  
Paige smiled awkwardly as the light touch of his hand on her arm gave her a delightful chill.  
"Yes… let's go?"  
They went out, but Paige looked back once more toward the bedroom door before they went out of the apartment and, when turned to Matthew again, she had no doubts that he knew what was on her mind.  
He still did the gentleman thing however, simply kissing her lightly before they went on their way.  
  
The darklighter thought again:  
"Soon…"  
  
Piper was in the kitchen, cooking the evening meal. By now cooking was a second nature to her, and her thoughts wandered far from the task at hand. No more did she have to imagine the wonderful life that Leo and she would have, because right now, Piper was living it. It still amazed her how much in love she was with her husband. One would have thought that after four years, she would have become somewhat "blasé" with their relationship. Yet, it wasn't like that at all. Every day, she felt like it was all new and wonderful. Maybe it had to do with the life of danger they led. After all, there was never any guaranty for them… Still, she knew that they would always be very much in love. It was something that she could feel deep down inside of her, and by now, she also knew that he felt the same. She was still saddened by her sister's death and often, her mood darkened because of it, but just being with Leo was enough to lift the worst of it. Moreover, since he had got back his whitelighter's powers, he was in a much better disposition. Sometimes Piper also regretted that he was not a mortal anymore, but she simply wished for him to be happy, as it gave her happiness as well…  
  
Leo came in at this point and her dreamy smile widened to greet him.  
"Hum, smells good, as usual!"  
  
"I just love cooking for you…"  
  
He smiled joyously. There had not been a single call from the Elders in the last three days, and Piper was thanking her luck, although she didn't tell Leo that, because she was afraid to jinx it. She had no doubts that he didn't mention it for the very same reason. It was amazing how little was needed for them to understand each other. Although, from a few experiences their magical status allowed her to have, she knew that they had been together long before, in former lives. Probably many of them… And from the way they connected so completely, she knew that all of those must have contributed to their mutual understanding. Leo came to her and gently turned her face upward, leaning for a soft kiss. Then, he caressed her stomach, apparently causing the baby to move slightly and it brought an even bigger smile on her face. Piper was convinced that she carried a girl. Her experience was somewhat different from what Phoebe described. Her sister had told Piper how vigorous her baby's kicks were. But Piper had only experienced small movements, almost delicate as she told Phoebe.  
  
Phoebe had thought this totally logical as she replied.  
"You yourself are so sweet and so is Leo… How could it be otherwise?"  
  
In the past, Phoebe and she were always good friends, as well as sisters; but their closeness had grown considerably in the last few weeks. They now shared motherhood, and a terrible grief, both very opposite feelings but which had contributed to their getting tighter than ever. Paige was still a little out of the loop, although they started to know and trust her better. "Soon," Piper thought, we will be as close a family as we used to be with Prue. Of that she was certain.  
  
Later that night, Cole and Phoebe had finally managed to put the baby to sleep and were trying to relax in bed. However, Phoebe sensed that her husband was tenser than usual if that was possible.   
"Something the matter…?"  
  
Cole looked back in surprise. He believed he wasn't that obvious.  
"Nothing's the matter, I was just thinking…"  
  
Phoebe leaned closer.  
"About what?"  
  
"Oh, just how easily it could all go away…"  
  
Phoebe was puzzled by that answer:  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Cole hesitated slightly:  
"Well you know, it's been so quiet lately, and it kind of feels like the calm before the storm…"  
  
"You have anything specific in mind?" Phoebe asked with a hint of concern.  
  
"No nothing really… just little stuff. Like for example, your sister's new boyfriend, which we know next to nothing about…"  
  
Phoebe couldn't help a chuckle.  
  
"What?" He asked with an uneasy smile.  
  
"Oh just that I never realized how much of a father figure you'd become… It's quite the change…"  
  
"Hey," Cole reacted with a hint of embarrassment, "for all we know, he could be a warlock…"  
  
Phoebe put her fingers lightly on his face, caressing him with a sweet smile on her lips.  
"That was not a reproach, far from…"  
  
The tension seemed to fly from his face. Then it was replaced by the sweetness that he always kept for her and their son alone.  
"You know me, always the worrier…"  
  
"Come on, trust her… I got the feeling that she can defend herself very well."  
  
"I'm sure you're right."  
Cole then pulled her to him possessively and was kissing her passionately when noises from downstairs interrupted what was sure to come next.  
"Well speak of the devil," he said, letting go of Phoebe with a half-amused, half-irritated expression.  
  
Paige was coming home and they could hear the little laughter she reserved for her boyfriend.   
  
"Things seem to be going really well between them."  
  
At this, Cole couldn't help adding:  
"How nice for them…"  
  
Phoebe laughed.  
"Oh come on, she'll be off to bed soon enough…"  
  
Cole smiled wickedly:  
"That's what I meant."  
He then proceeded to deposit little kisses down her throat even as he was pulling at the belt of her bathrobe. At this point, she had totally forgotten about her sister, when another round of laughter coming, she thought, from the living room, told her that Paige had invited Matthew in for a nightcap.   
She pushed Cole away reluctantly:  
"Hum," he then said, "you know that I like your sister and all, but right now, I wished that she was anywhere but here…" He was looking at his wife very purposefully, and she had no doubts on what was on his mind at the moment.  
"Come on, it's only for a little while longer…"  
  
Cole pulled away with a sigh and Phoebe thought of something else.  
"You know, I might have an explanation about you being a worrisome person…"  
Cole gave her a puzzled look.  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I have been having strange dreams lately…"  
  
"What kind of dreams?"  
  
"They felt like premonitions of the past. Our past lives to be exact…"  
  
"Our past lives?"  
  
Cole seemed dubious, but Phoebe pursued.  
"Yes ours and all the people close to us as well… Piper, Prue, Leo and Paige even… They were all part of it one way or another."  
  
"Well that's interesting I guess… but what does it have to do with my state of mind?"  
  
Phoebe smiled teasingly:  
"The present one…? Or the worrisome part…?"  
  
"Right now I'm not worried about a thing except…" His voice trailed off as he again took her in his arms and trained his lips down her throat. Phoebe fought the urge to let him continue and pushed him away playfully.  
"Behave," she said, while laughing softly.  
Cole sighed, feigning annoyance:  
"Alright, I'll behave but you're going to have to make it interesting…"  
  
"Let's just say our lives were never really easy, at least most of them. But we were together more often than not…"  
  
Cole sat back on the pillow and replied.  
"Ok, now I'm intrigued, dish…"  
  
Phoebe smiled and began telling Cole about her dreams… 


	2. Love Connections (2)

Love Connections  
Chapter two  
  
"First," Phoebe said, "there is one of those dreams/premonitions that I hesitate to tell you about…"  
  
"Why is that?" Cole questioned guardedly.  
  
"It was a very disturbing dream, and it happened when you were about fourteen…"  
  
Cole jumped in surprise. He knew exactly what she was referring to, and it was a painful memory. However, he was a little puzzled as to what Phoebe had to do with it… He still hesitated to ask, for fear of her answer.  
  
"If you're afraid that you hurt me… Don't, it wasn't you…At least not really."  
  
"And then what?" Cole asked with even more wariness.  
  
"I found out that at the time, I did know you. I was the little girl you befriended when they let you out in the world. Because of the dreams, I remember that this little girl liked you… and that you did too…"  
  
Cole just whispered:  
"Kate…"  
He didn't really need her to tell him much more as the memories came flooding back on their own. Until that faithful day, he had simply been a very troubled child. He was unhappy most of the time, his mother pushing him to let his demonic nature out. However, on occasions, he was escaping from the underworld and simply lived a normal human life. Cole's mother let him, as she told him once that it might as well be part of the learning process. Elizabeth also told him that he could never escape what he was. Cole knew that she was right, but he still wanted to try and forget about the demon inside of him. The first thing she had taught him was the need for hiding his true nature to the rest of humanity. His human half still dominated most of the time back then, and it made it easy for him to follow this rule.   
  
The little girl, whom he now knew was Phoebe's past life incarnation, he had liked instantly. Cole had also learned to hide his feelings from his mother. He knew too well already that Elizabeth would take his joy away if she knew. Thus, for a few years, and whenever he could, he would spend time with Kate, pretending that he was a normal kid. She was an only child and her mother lived alone as she was a widow. What he had not known at the time was that they were both witches…  
  
One day, Kate took him aside with an air of secrecy. In all the seriousness that a twelve year old could muster, she told Cole what she was, certain that she could trust him with this confidence. However, Kate soon understood that it had changed everything between them.  
  
The second lesson Elizabeth had drilled into Cole was that witches were their mortal enemies. Kate finally noticed the look on his face, and her eyes filled with tears.   
"What is it?" She had asked with a somewhat fearful little voice.  
  
Cole simply turned around and walked away.  
When Kate called him back, he turned once, hesitant, and then he told her:  
"Stay away from me. If you don't, you and your mother will get hurt…"  
  
After more than 10 years of knowing about his demonic nature, all the feelings he had left, he had poured onto this little girl, and her tears just broke his heart, but he continued on his way, as much to protect her as himself. What Cole didn't know was that his mother had suspected his secret friend. Elizabeth had begun watching him from afar, seeking to know as much as she could about his human form. His humanity was the last obstacle for him to become the great demon that everyone knew he could be… She heard the little girl's admission and was seething with rage that her Belthazor still tried to protect the little witch. Elizabeth promised herself that this would end the way she wanted it to…  
  
As soon as Cole was out of sight, Elizabeth came to the little girl, pretending to be concerned.  
"What is it, little girl?"  
  
Kate was sobbing so hard by then that she couldn't answer.  
"Are you hurt? Did that boy hurt you?" Elizabeth insisted.  
  
Kate lifted her teary eyes toward Elizabeth, but still said nothing.  
"You do know that he is a monster?"  
  
Finally the little girl reacted.  
"Don't say that about Cole! He's my friend…"  
  
Elizabeth continued nevertheless.  
"Didn't your mother warn you about such creatures? He's a demon… your enemy…"  
  
Kate looked upon her as if she was crazy. A demon would not have been able of love, and she knew Cole loved her. Yet, she had to admit that his change in attitude was strange.  
  
Very troubled by the woman's revelations, Kate ran home to her mother. They had always been able to talk freely. No matter how busy Sarah got, she always made time for her daughter, as they were everything to each other… She had told Kate about demons and the danger they represented to them. Kate only had a budding power and a weak one at that. She could see the future, but only on occasion. Her mother, on the other hand, was a powerful witch who could throw fire.   
  
Kate entered the house, still in tears, and it alerted Sarah right away.  
"What is it Kate, did someone hurt you?" She asked anxiously.  
  
Kate answered through her sobs.  
"It's Cole…"  
  
Sarah opened wide eyes at this. Although, she didn't like his attitude generally, she was convinced that he could never hurt Kate. She could sense this from all the times that she had seen them together.  
"What did he do?"  
  
"Oh mommy, he told me to stay away from him," Kate took a few shallow breaths before pursuing. "Then, this lady told me…"  
  
"What?"  
  
Kate's sobbing grew louder but she still managed to utter the rest.  
"She told me that Cole is a demon…"  
  
"What are you talking about? He's been your friend for so long… And why doesn't he want to see you all of a sudden?"  
  
Kate looked at her mother hesitantly.  
"That's because I told him about us…"  
  
Sarah asked incredulously.  
"You told him what we are?"  
  
Kate nodded sheepishly.  
"He said that he was dangerous to us. Oh mommy, that can't be, can it? He's my friend!"  
  
Sarah pursed her lips, deep in thoughts. Any normal human would have just laughed at her. Kate didn't even have any power to demonstrate. So why had he believed it so easily? Could there be truth to what the woman said, and for that matter, who was she?  
"Do you know that lady?"  
  
Kate nodded by the negative this time.  
"You're sure?" Sarah insisted.  
  
"I never saw her before…"  
  
Sarah wasn't ready to take any chances with her daughter's safety.  
"Kate, listen to me carefully. I want you to stay away from the lady and Cole, do you understand me?"  
  
"But mommy, Cole likes me, he won't hurt me."  
  
Sarah insisted severely.  
"You've got to obey me. Stay away from them."  
  
Kate lowered her eyes and nodded again in the affirmative, albeit weakly.  
Sarah hugged her daughter tightly, and Kate could feel her mother trembling, which scared her.  
  
Elizabeth was watching the house, waiting for the witch. She knew that as soon as Kate told her about Cole, she would try to do something about it; even if she was only trying to get help from other witches…   
  
As Phoebe was filling the blanks in Cole' story, he realized the depth of his mother's evil. He had always suspected that she had a hand in what happened next, but now the confirmation of his suspicions made it even more difficult for him.   
"How can you even look at me after this?" He asked, devastated.   
  
Phoebe forced him to look at her.  
"Because I know that the boy that loved this little girl never died… He was simply put aside by ruthless monsters, and those monsters are all gone now."  
  
For a moment longer, Cole wondered if the monster within him was truly gone. Those memories were so vivid and horrible. That day… that terrible day, his mother had succeeded in awakening his inner demon for good. The human in him had been completely overwhelmed and buried, only to be awakened by Phoebe, years and years later. Moreover, he was learning now that it had always been her…  
  
Elizabeth saw Sarah coming out of the house alone, and a satisfied smile spread over her thin lips. As she had suspected, Sarah thought that her daughter would be safe in the house. Sarah was surely going to find people she thought might help. Elizabeth wanted to make sure that there were no doubts left in the witch's mind about Cole, and she immediately went to her, stopping Sarah in her tracks.  
Sarah looked up in surprise at Elizabeth's sudden appearance.  
"Who are you?"  
  
Elizabeth played her best concerned-citizen role.  
"Are you Kate's mother?"  
  
Sarah stared suspiciously at the lady.  
"How do you know her name?"  
  
"I heard that monster talking to her. I was too afraid to intervene, but fortunately he didn't hurt her…yet."  
  
Sarah was still very suspicious of the woman, but she still answered.  
"Yes I'm Kate's mother. But how would you know about the boy?"  
  
"I've seen his demonic form with my own eyes, just before he killed a witch from my coven…"  
  
Sarah took a deep breath, and then she questioned the woman further.  
"Are you a witch as well?"  
  
"Only a mere practitioner… I have no real powers, but I know of demons and that boy is one. Of that, I'm certain…"  
Then Elizabeth probed.  
"You're not leaving her alone are you?"  
  
Sarah didn't know what else to do. She thought she needed help to defend the both of them. Now more than ever… Still, she didn't want this lady to know more about them. For some reason, even though she believed what she said about Cole, Sarah couldn't bring herself to trust the lady any further.  
"Kate's not alone, don't worry." Sarah lied.  
  
The lady simply nodded and Sarah gave one last worried look at the house before getting back on her way. The Demoness could read Sarah like a book, and she knew right then that Kate had to be alone.  
  
Elizabeth shimmered inside the house, and while staying in a shadow form, looked for the little girl. She found her asleep in an upstairs bedroom. "Perfect," Elizabeth thought to herself. She left the house only for a few minutes, and then she returned with a satisfied expression, watching for the return of Kate's mother…  
  
An hour later, Sarah showed up. Elizabeth spotted her and then she turned back toward the little girl. She heard the door opening downstairs and knew that her moment had come. She materialized completely and went to wake Kate, startling her into a scream, which was sure to alert Sarah. At first, Kate was only puzzled by the lady's presence in her room. But then, Elizabeth looked upon her with eyes filled with hatred, and Kate knew that it was the end for her. The Demoness quickly lifted her hand and sent a fireball in Kate's direction. Kate screamed only once more, before the fire consumed her. Elizabeth shimmered out just as Sarah entered the room to find her daughter dying. The stricken mother tried running toward Kate but it was much too late already, and she uttered a primal scream that alerted the neighbors. Some even came to her door, but no one answered from inside the house, as Sarah had fallen to the floor, in prostration. For a long time, she stayed there, unable to comprehend what had really happened. She had failed Kate miserably…   
  
Then, Sarah didn't know how long afterward, she started thinking about their last conversation, and cold rage replaced the grief. The witches of her coven had been of little help, as they knew nothing of a kid demon, which would try to live as a human. But Sarah believed she knew where to find him…  
She found the strength to get up and going out of the house, determined to avenge her daughter at all cost. A constable, alerted by the neighbors, tried to stop her, but she simply looked at him without a word and ran passed him. There were no longer any doubts in her mind that Cole was responsible for her daughter's demise; and no one would keep her from vanquishing him.  
  
Meanwhile, Elizabeth had already planted the seed of doubt in her son's mind. Earlier she had come to Cole, and made sure that he would be ready for the witch.  
First, without telling him how she knew, Elizabeth informed him that she knew everything about Kate. Cole had tried to deny the facts, hoping that his mother would believe him and leave Kate alone, but she persisted, ignoring his protests.  
"Belthazor, you've got to wake up and realize that witches are our enemies. You would have deserved punishment for befriending one of them."  
  
"Don't hurt her mother." Cole almost pleaded. This made her even more enraged, but she kept focused, as she was convinced that her plan was coming to completion.   
"They're gonna come for you son. If you're not ready to act, they'll vanquish you. That's what they do…"  
  
Cole couldn't believe that.  
"Kate wouldn't hurt me, mother… you're wrong."  
  
Elizabeth glared at him contemptibly:  
"If you won't do what's necessary to defend yourself, then you never were the demon we expected, and you deserve your fate…"  
  
Then she had shimmered out before he could add anything.  
  
At this point, the conflict was intense inside of him. The demon in him wanted nothing more than do what came naturally to him, which was to kill the witches. However, the human side of him still couldn't bring himself to kill. The battle was still raging within him when Kate's mother arrived.   
  
Kate had once told Sarah that the boy lived in a small cottage just out of town. One of the things that had bothered Sarah the most about the boy was that her daughter never saw any other member of his family. She had forbidden her daughter to go back to the cottage with him… Now, Sarah reflected bitterly on the futility of her warnings. A demon had been among them all this time and she never suspected. Because of her negligence, Kate was dead. She didn't care whether she lived or died anymore. However, she would surely try to bring Cole down with her.  
  
Sarah found the cottage, just as Kate had described, and the door unlocked. Without hesitation, she went in. At first, Cole reacted with surprise, and then, remembering what her mother told him, he morphed into his demon form. Still, Cole couldn't bring himself to attack her. Sarah, on the other hand, didn't hesitate. She began throwing fireballs at him, which missed only by mere inches. From the moment her attack started, Cole's demonic instincts took over completely, stimulated as they were by what he thought was his friend's betrayal, and soon all hesitation was forgotten. Shimmering behind her, he simply broke her neck. The change in him was almost instantaneous. Maybe, it had been the remorse or the fear, but the human half of him retreated away in that instant. Later, he learned of Kate's death. But by then, he was passed caring.   
  
Phoebe could read the pain on her husband's face and it hurt her. She thought that maybe she really shouldn't have reminded him of this.  
"Cole?"  
  
"It's ok, I just needed a moment. I'd almost forgotten about this. But maybe it's a good thing that you reminded me. What happened that day is what made me so suspicious and unable to trust anyone… until you…I know now that my trust was justified, as well as the feelings I had for Kate…For you."  
  
Phoebe smiled gently.  
"And you should never doubt it. All I want to remember from this is the boy that you were…"  
  
Cole smiled weakly, still a little unsettled.  
"You really are something, you know that? I can't believe how lucky I was to find you!"  
  
Phoebe snuggled to him.  
"Luck had nothing to do with it… we were destined to be together. Always have been…"  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"I saw it in my dreams, remember?"  
  
"Well, I hope that it wasn't always that bad, because I don't think I could take much more of this…"  
  
"It really wasn't… On the contrary…"  
  
"Then, by all means…"  
  
Phoebe obliged…  
"It was the year 543. It's as far as my dreams, which we know now were indeed premonitions, went. And also the first time we met that I know of…"  
  
Cole showed his surprise but didn't interrupt, already curious…  
  
In those days, we were living together: my sisters, our cousin Paige and I. Like in our present lifetime, Prue was the oldest, but I was the second in line, followed by Piper. We were the combined heirs of a Duke, who had been mildly powerful before his death. However, after his passing, the land he owned and gave to us became a battleground between two other powerful Dukes. The greatest part of our father's army had already deserted us and we were left almost defenseless. That is why, when one of the Dukes offered a compromise, we saw that it was the best course of action. In order to keep our rights to the land and still be safe, Prue was promised to his son… you…  
  
Downstairs, Paige was accompanying Matthew to the door. Although she truly wished that the evening didn't have to end, she didn't want to precipitate anything. Her life was in turmoil enough as it was, and she simply wanted to be sure before jumping into anything else. Matthew kissed her softly, and her heart raced. She watched him all the way to his car, smiling dreamily. He waved toward her before getting in and she closed the door slowly afterward.  
  
The Darklighter thought.  
"Don't push, she will be ready soon enough…" 


	3. Love Connections(3)

Love Connections  
Chapter three  
  
Again shrouded in darkness, the darklighter was observing his visitor attentively.  
The newcomer was a balding man, short in stature and not really impressive, but the Darklighter knew that his colleague's appearance was deceptive.   
He had to be careful however. Jacob, the darklighter thought of using for his plans, couldn't know of his true goal. The Darklighter knew that killing the two whitelighters was imperative to his success. However, he didn't want to risk being exposed, even though he still thought that he could do the job himself. His first attempt had been a risky one; he wasn't going to take the same chance again. Jacob would do it, as he was one who particularly hated whitelighters, devoting most of his energies to chasing them. Still, if he had known about Paige, then he most certainly would have gone after her as well, and it wouldn't do at all.  
  
Jacob questioned the Darklighter.  
"Why are you so adamant about those two in particular?"  
  
"Do I really need to give you a reason? No matter, they have been a thorn in my side for a while already, and I just thought that you could help me getting rid of them, but if you won't…"  
  
Jacob protested:  
"Hey, don't play games with me. I'll see what I can do, although somehow I've got the feeling there's something you're not telling me…"  
  
The Darklighter cleared his throat, faking embarrassment. He already had an all made-up explanation, and it had the advantage to be the truth:  
"Well, there's a little problem… One of them is the father of an archangel…"  
  
Jacob took a step back, obviously startled.  
"I can't go up against an archangel!"  
  
The Darklighter reassured him immediately.  
"He's only half-archangel, which makes him vulnerable. He also has another weakness. He loves a woman and their child. His concerns are mostly with them. I don't think that he'll be a problem at all…"  
  
Jacob seemed to think about it. He was still puzzled by his colleague's need for assistance, but his thirst for whitelighter's blood was almost boundless. These two would just add to his trophies.  
"I'll see what I can do…" Jacob finally uttered with a cruel smile.   
  
The darklighter almost applauded, but instead he simply nodded in approval. Jacob vanished in a cloud of black orbs, leaving the Darklighter to savor his upcoming victory…   
  
Phoebe heard Paige's bedroom door closing, and she waited a moment before continuing…  
Cole, who was somewhat back from the shock of her first revelation, was now really curious about the next story:  
"Hey don't leave me hanging here…"  
  
Phoebe laughed heartily.  
"What's the big hurry? Is it really that you're interested in how long we have known each other, or is it because I said that you were supposed to marry Prue?"  
  
Cole took a falsely offended stance.  
"I never even fancied your sister and for excellent reasons…"  
  
Phoebe put her delicate yet forceful fist against his chest and pushed hard, only amusing him even more, "You had better not…"  
  
At this point, they almost forgot altogether about the stories, as the game was quickly morphing into something else. But again, they heard a muffled but distinct coughing sound coming from Paige's room and that stopped them, temporarily…  
  
"Hum," Cole uttered then, "you might as well continue. Besides, I really am curious about our past. I never imagined that it was going so far back…"  
  
"Until I got those dreams, neither did I."  
  
'Prue was pacing back and forth nervously the length of her bedroom. Today was the day that she was to meet her promised. To say the least, she wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of marrying him, but her sense of duty to her sisters and cousin superceded her own needs. Her sisters themselves had protested against her sacrifice. They knew that she loved another already, but Prue had been inflexible about it.   
She had been raised with the notion that duty came before one's own desires. She intended to see this ordeal through… Still, at the moment she feared what was to come. She didn't want her sisters to know this. It would have encouraged them in their protestations. So that when the discreet knock on the door interrupted her pacing, she fought hard to get her countenance back before acknowledging her visitor…  
When she thought that she was ready, she invited them in calmly.  
"Come in…"  
  
Phoebe entered decisively, as she was to make one last attempt at dissuading her sister. Prue, however, saw her coming and lifted a firm hand in front of her sister.  
"Don't try again, I won't change my mind." She said firmly. "The safety of this house and all who live in it depends on it…"  
  
Phoebe wouldn't be deterred.  
"I'm sure that we can find another way. Paul loves you and you love him. How could you not want to be with him?"  
  
Prue grimaced in spite of her best resolutions.  
"Paul understands just as I do that it's necessary."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. He looked to me like he might change his mind about duty."  
  
Prue hesitated, and then:  
"He will accept it and so will you…"  
  
Phoebe sighed heavily but understood that her sister was too set in her ways to be dissuaded. She still made one last try nonetheless.  
"Why can't I do it? I'm not attached to anyone, and I would be willing to do it…"  
  
Prue looked affectionately at her sister. She was grateful to have such loving sisters.  
"I would never force you to do this. As the oldest, it's my duty to protect you all. Besides, you know that the Duke has been very specific about this."  
  
Phoebe the prickling of tears coming, and Prue recognized the distress in her.  
"Don't be sad, Phoebe. Who knows, maybe it won't be as terrible as we're imagining. True enough, his family is known to be ruthless, but they're also people of honor. They have a strong army and are well off. In addition, this marriage will most probably bring back our own people to us. It's not a bad thing to marry one in a family like that. We will all be safe for the rest of our lives thanks to this. For that alone, I'm sure that I will be able to accept him, however he is…"  
  
"I just wish that we knew more about that man…"  
  
"Well at least he's a young man," Prue smiled sadly. "It could have been worse. He could have been an old geezer."  
  
They both tried to laugh at the joke attempt, but it was only a half-hearted chortle, which died off quickly.  
Outside Prue's window, they could hear the sound of horses coming fast toward the castle. The time had come…  
  
Piper and Paige joined Prue and Phoebe inside the great hall, where they were to meet Cole and his escort. His father had come as well; present only to complete the arrangements. As a dowry, they had to offer a piece of their land to the Duke, but at least this had come with the promise of protection. The Duke of course, counted on an heir, so that his family would still end up owning the whole land eventually. This was also why he had insisted on the oldest. Prue, knowing full well the ambitions of the Duke, intended to make sure that her sisters and their descendants would always be under the Duke's protection, no matter what…  
  
The girls stood fast, waiting for their visitors. They were all a little scared inside, but they had all been taught to hide such feelings. Dignity demanded they looked assured, and so did the upcoming negotiations. They could hear the heavy footsteps of their visitors, as they made their way toward the great hall. A servant preceded them and announced, uselessly, the arrival of the Duke of Cairns and his entourage. The Duke, an imposing man of about fifty, almost pushed the servant aside, not bothering to salute the ladies but instead coming directly at them. He was soon followed by two other much younger men, which were just as imposing, even in their dusty traveling clothes. Prue had to refrain from uttering a cry at the sight of them, for the filth made them look like savages. The Duke began loudly.  
"So who is the promised?"  
  
Prue was startled by his rudeness and didn't answer right away. She could feel her sisters' hesitation as well. It wasn't starting well.  
She had expected a certain lack of polish from those people but never this total disaster. Finally, she took a deep breath and took a step forward:  
"I am she, and also the one who will discuss the terms of the arrangement."  
  
The Duke eyed her with a hint of contempt. He wasn't used to dealing with women. However, he was very interested in adding this land to his holdings, as it would not only give him more riches, but also a stronger stand against his enemies.  
"What's there to discuss? I thought that the arrangement was mutually beneficial and all taken care of…"  
  
"There's the matter of the future," Prue announced as firmly as she could. Until then, she had not even tried to guess who the man she was to marry was. All that mattered was her family' safety.  
"Before I can accept the terms of this agreement, I have to make sure that my family will be under your protection for all time…"  
  
The Duke didn't seem to relish this idea very much. He had counted on ultimately taking the whole place and ousting the inhabitants. This would take much longer than he had thought…  
  
One of the younger men came closer, looking curiously toward Prue, and then the other girls.  
"I can assure you," he said, obviously to the Duke's discontent, "we have no intentions of letting you down."  
  
Prue turned to him:  
"And who might you be, sir?"  
Through the filth, she noticed the piercing blue eyes and the gentle smile.  
"I am Cole Cairns, your fiancé…"  
  
Prue thought right then that as luck would have it, at least the man wasn't as bad as his father… Still, she had no idea of what this smile might be hiding, and she was not about to concede anything until she had written proof of his words.  
It didn't help his cause that as soon as he had said this, he turned his attention toward her sisters, his smile widening noticeably. She cast a quick glance behind her, only to find that Phoebe was smiling back at him, in the pretend shyness she knew so well how to use in attracting men. She had always been very successful with them, and Prue wondered often why none of them had captured her heart as of yet. Still, she dismissed Phoebe attitude as one more attempt to save her from a forced marriage.  
"Maybe, she said aloud, breaking the moment between them, "if you'd all like to wash up and have some supper, we could continue this discussion later on?"  
  
The Duke didn't seem to appreciate her not so subtle allusion to their appearances, but his son and the other man with him smiled apparently more amused than insulted. They then agreed for him.  
  
Prue found this again very reassuring, even as she summoned one of the servants and ordered him to show the men to their rooms.  
  
Cole took leave of them with a half curtsy, which told her that court's manners had not been a big part of his upbringing. What bothered her even more was the fact that all the while he had been looking behind her, no doubts in the direction of her younger sister.  
Before leaving, the man who had not spoken as of yet, came forward, trying just as inefficiently to curtsy, and then introducing himself.  
"Good day! I'm Leo Cairns, the youngest in our family." Prue simply nodded in acknowledgement and he left the room behind his father and brother."  
  
Phoebe waited only a moment before she exclaimed enthusiastically.  
"Oh what a man!"  
  
Prue glanced curiously at her.  
"How would you know? He was covered in mud from head to toes…"  
  
"I saw it in his eyes…"  
  
For the first time, Prue wondered if her sister wasn't truly interested…  
Although, she knew that her sister had always been very enthusiastic about her likes and dislikes. Their nanny had tried very hard to teach them reserve, but in Phoebe's case it has been almost hopeless. Even if it occasionally made Prue uncomfortable, she actually was grateful for her sister's openness…  
Prue returned pensively to her room; only to find Paul there, waiting for her…  
"You shouldn't be here, we already said all there was to say."  
  
Paul came closer, undeterred.  
"Did we?"  
  
"We can't do this," Prue replied painfully, "you know that our safety depends on this marriage."  
  
Paul dismissed her protests:  
"What about my sanity? The more I think about it, the less I can stand the idea of you belonging to another man…"  
  
Prue couldn't look at him directly. She feared her own reaction. For as long as she had known him, he alone had been able to make her lower all of her defenses. She was helpless to resist him and tried her best to stay away.  
  
Paul continued.  
"See what you're doing? You can't even look me in the eyes. I know you love me. You can't marry that man; I implore you to reconsider. We'll find another way."  
  
Prue couldn't become weak, not now…  
"What other way would that be? Abandon the house of our ancestors and run away toward the unknown?"  
  
"My family…"  
  
She interrupted Paul.  
"As much as I respect and love your family, they cannot help us. You know that we need more strength than they can offer to defend this place…"  
Paul put his head down, sadly unable to contradict her.  
His family and hers had been friends for a very long time. Their fathers had been as close as two men could be, and until Prue's father passed away, it had been a given that Paul and Prue would marry one day. However, after the Duke died and the troubles started, Prue had broken her promise to him. He knew that she had done this out of her sense of duty, and he admired her for it, but it didn't change the fact that he loved her more than life itself. He had tried very hard to accept her decision, but now that it was almost a done deal, he regretted not having insisted…  
He couldn't resist the impulse that came to him next, as he went to her quickly and enveloped her in his strong arms. She tried to protest but he stopped her by crushing her lips with his. His kiss was more passionate than ever, and she resisted only an instant before she responded in kind. However, she finally came to her senses and pushed him off, looking away from him. Paul was almost out of breath and barely heard when Prue spoke, nearly a whisper.  
"Please leave…"  
For a long moment he just stood there, unable to stop looking at her. Then at last, he said:  
"I will always love you, know that."  
  
When she didn't turn to him, he understood that she couldn't and he took his leave of her, although reluctantly.  
When she was certain that he was gone, she glanced at the wooden door with teary eyes, and in the same voice, she uttered:  
"Good bye, my love."  
  
Later that evening and for most of the next morning, Prue and the Duke discussed the arrangements, but without making much progress. She knew that he was pushing hard because she was a woman. He thought that he would get his way eventually by bullying her, and Prue had to use all of her inner strength not to give in.   
How she wished that her father were still alive, she told herself that afternoon after another harsh exchange with the Duke. Then, none of it would have been necessary. She retired to her rooms for some well-needed rest, her heart heavy with the weight of her regrets.   
  
Meanwhile, she had not seen her fiancé again since the night before, but her sisters had…  
That afternoon, Phoebe and Piper were taking a walk in the meadow near the castle, discussing their concerns for their sisters but also another subject that Prue would have found rather unladylike…  
"What did you think of them?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Who?"   
  
"The young men, who else…?"  
  
Piper feigned indifference.  
"Not much really…"  
  
Phoebe smiled wickedly.  
"I saw the way you looked at Leo this morning. Your eyes lit right up…"  
Piper couldn't help the slight blush at the thought of the young man. However, she wasn't about to encourage Phoebe.  
"Don't be ridiculous. He is an unworthy man. I barely noticed him…"  
  
Phoebe pursued, undeterred by her sister's protest.  
"Your mouth may be saying this, but I know you Piper; your heart is saying otherwise…"  
  
Piper denied again, although mildly.  
"You don't know my heart."  
  
Phoebe smiled anew.  
"Don't I?"  
  
Piper then turned the table on her sister.  
"And what about you…? I've seen the way you looked at Cole. You know that it's really wrong of you?"  
  
"I just noticed how handsome he is…"  
Phoebe couldn't help thinking back to this morning, when she had seen him, clean and shaved. He was the handsomest man she had ever seen, and right then, she had been jealous of her sister. What hurt most was the fact that she knew how her sister truly felt. Prue could never love that man, at least not like she thought he would deserve to be loved.  
Even those thoughts had surprised her greatly. Phoebe liked men well enough, but she never found one that she thought would be worth giving herself to. Yet, as she was looking at Cole, she had the feeling that he might have been the one. He suddenly had noticed her staring and smiled. She had turned around quickly, almost running away, as her heart pounded in her chest.  
Piper interrupted her train of thoughts when she noticed her distracted stare.  
"Phoebe?"  
  
Phoebe shook her head and turned to her questioningly.  
"What?"  
  
"I've never seen you like this, you have to get over it, he's not meant for you…"  
  
"Why not? It would solve all the problems… Prue could marry Paul, as she truly wishes…"  
  
"You know perfectly well that the Duke won't accept this. He hasn't offered his help out of the goodness of his heart. He wants our estate ultimately, and only a marriage with Prue will provide this for him…"  
  
The voice behind them made them jump.  
"Ladies? Aren't you scared of walking in the open unprotected? The times are dangerous enough, but much worse for young ladies like you…" It had been Cole talking.  
  
Phoebe and Piper turned in block to find themselves facing the two men they had just been discussing. Phoebe felt her face turn red at this, as she was certain that they must have known.  
  
However, if they did, neither one of them mentioned it.   
"Will you allow us to keep you safe on your promenade?" Leo asked instead.  
Still speechless, both girls nodded in agreement, almost at the same time. After an awkward moment where none of them spoke, Cole approached Phoebe and graciously offered his arm to her. She put her hand on his arm lightly and they started walking slowly as Leo did the same for Piper.  
  
For a while, Phoebe and Cole just walked in silence. More than once he turned to her, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself. Finally, Phoebe couldn't stand this anymore.  
"Why did you agree to this marriage?"  
  
He uttered a surprised laughter.  
"You are very blunt, aren't you?"  
  
"I don't see the point of circling around the issues, if that's what you mean…"  
  
"Well if you must know… It's true that you have been raised quite differently than we have; but duty was also a big part of our upbringing…"  
  
"So, it's not for our estate, it's about the duty to your father?"  
For some reason, Phoebe felt like provoking him.   
  
However, Cole wasn't going to be goaded that easily. He smiled at her instead, somehow knowing better than she did what she was trying to do…  
They kept silent some more, still walking toward the nearest tree covered area. He was so calm and confident that she found it hard to believe that his father could dominate him.  
"What do you think of my sister?" Phoebe suddenly asked.  
  
"She's a lovely girl…"  
  
"That's not much to say about the woman that you will marry…"  
  
"At the moment, I'm not married yet…"  
The tone of his voice had been so suggestive that she couldn't help feeling warmth coursing through her.   
"Be careful, sir. Prue is my sister after all…"  
  
While talking, they had stopped and Phoebe could see her sister getting further away with Leo. She wondered about the properness of being alone with her sister's fiancé, particularly one that she felt so attracted to. What was worse, she could sense that it was mutual. She suddenly let go of his arm, and went ahead.  
He hurried by her side, catching her arm.  
"Have I offended you?"  
  
"It's just the circumstances…" Phoebe replied, again pulling her arm out of his grip.   
"Maybe we should return to the castle," she then said, even if she was far from wanting to.  
Cole was about to answer when a scream attracted their attention. Turning toward the forest, they saw men on horses; they were coming out of the woods and going straight at Leo and Piper. Leo had already pulled his sword, ready for action, as he pushed Piper behind him. Cole didn't hesitate and drew his sword as well, now running toward them.  
The first of the attackers reached Leo and Piper long before Cole could help but, fortunately, Leo was able to fend him off, then another and another came out of the woods. Phoebe thought at this point that they must have heard of the arrangement about to be signed with the Duke of Cairns. She guessed that their intention was to kidnap them to provoke a battle with the Duke, this before the marriage was an accomplished fact, and their own army was back. Of course, their enemies knew that if this were to happen, their land would become practically impregnable.  
  
Cole reached them just in time to fend one of the men, as he was going to hit his brother in the back. They battled fiercely from then on, keeping Piper between them and Phoebe could see that duty was not the only thing that had been taught to them. After a few minutes, many of the assailants were lying on the ground dead or wounded, and the others retreated back toward the woods. Phoebe was just starting to breathe easier when she felt herself being lifted off the ground unceremoniously, and tossed across a horse. The noises from the battle had covered the approach of her kidnapper, but the screams she uttered got heard. The other three immediately saw that she was in trouble and Cole didn't hesitate to take one of the mounts that were now rider less, thanks to them, and he went to Phoebe's rescue. Leo, realizing that the same fate could befall Piper, stayed behind to protect her…  
  
The kidnapper was pushing his horse to the limit, but the added weight of his victim slowed him down considerably. Thus, Cole managed to reach them after only a few miles of pursuit. Without stopping the horse, he jumped at the man, and threw him off the mount while the animal continued a ways, still carrying Phoebe. This one, once free of the man grasp, managed to get a hold of the rein and to stop the horse. She then turned it back toward the two men, who were still battling on the ground. For a moment it appeared as if her kidnapper was getting the best of Cole, as he threw him hard to the ground and Cole stopped moving. Phoebe saw the other man drawing his sword and without any more hesitation, she rammed him with the horse, sending him flying a good ways and hitting the ground hard. Meanwhile, Cole had time to recuperate, as he got back up, ready to finish the bandit. He ran toward him, only to discover that this one had broken his neck in the fall. He wouldn't be any danger to anyone. Cole gave an appreciative glance to Phoebe, as she herself was still under the shock of her ordeal. Now that the danger had apparently passed, she could finally give in to her emotions, and tears ran down her cheeks freely. However, when she noticed Cole' stare, she wiped them almost angrily, not wanting him to see her weak side.  
Cole found her prideful gesture even more appealing.   
"Well, I thought that I was saving you, and you ended up saving me…"   
  
"I guess we're even then…"  
Cole observed the surroundings for a moment.  
"Not quite, we seem to be short a mount…"  
  
The horse that he was riding had continued on his way and was now out of sight.  
He went on, seeing as she was not answering.  
"I could walk of course, but it's not safe in the open as you just saw. I really think that we should try to get back to the castle as fast as possible."  
  
Phoebe acquiesced and he mounted the horse behind her. The moment she felt him against her back, all the desire that she had felt in the morning came flooding back... Phoebe had to fight the urge of just leaning against his strong chest. For a moment, she thought that he was going to try something, as his face was almost to the nape of her neck, but then he took the reins and kicked the horse. However, even though he had hinted at going back to the castle in a hurry, he only rode the horse to a trot, apparently not so impatient to arrive anymore. Phoebe stood very stiffly in front of him, and every time that his arms rubbed against her waist, she almost jumped. At long last, Cole questioned her about it.  
"Are you always so stiff on a horse?"  
  
He was bending toward her while saying this, and when she turned her face toward him, their lips almost touched. Phoebe looked ahead quickly, her chest heaving. She thought she felt him trembling against her, but it had been a fleeting moment, and then he pulled himself away from her.  
"I guess that I'm just a bit tense from the attack," she lied.  
  
"I suppose it makes sense…"  
  
Phoebe was trying very hard to resist the urge to turn back toward him and she had almost exhausted all of her will, when the castle came into view. She sighed, as much in relief as in disappointment.  
She was convinced that he felt the same from the tone of his voice, when he said:  
"Home sweet home…"  
  
"Yes," she trailed.  
  
When they were close enough, they saw that a posse was assembling in the courtyard. Obviously, Leo and Piper had alerted them. Prue was there too, and saw them first. This in turn drew the others' attention to them.   
  
Prue and Piper ran toward Phoebe with big smiles of relief.  
"Phoebe," Prue uttered, "Oh my god, I thought we lost you."  
  
Cole spoke for the both of them.  
"You should not count your sister out so easily, she can defend herself…"  
  
Piper and Prue stared at him and Phoebe in turn with perplexed expressions, but no explanation was forthcoming from either one of them, as they dismounted. Phoebe thought that Prue could read her feelings on her face, but this one didn't seem to notice anything. On the other hand, her strange attitude didn't escape Piper' scrutiny. Nevertheless, she kept her own comments for later.  
"Thank you…" Phoebe said softly, again lost in his eyes as she looked back.  
"It was nothing," he replied while returning her gaze with the same want as she felt. This time even Prue noticed the way they looked at each other. "Thank you as well," Cole whispered as he kissed her hand lightly. Phoebe quickly removed it, made self-conscious by the burning sensation that coursed through her from even the light touch of his lips. She smiled nervously and directed her paces toward the castle, not waiting for her sisters.  
These were about to follow Phoebe when the thundering voice of the Duke stopped them. He didn't care much for the danger that the sisters had faced, but he had felt this attack as a personal affront. What Phoebe had thought a rescue party was in fact meant as a reprisal against the opposing Duke of LaTour.   
"You and Leo come with us," he told his sons in a loud voice. "Those brigands will not get away with attacking people under my protection."  
  
His sons tried to reason with him.  
"Father," Leo uttered, "we only have a small company here, and those men are probably massing, ready for an attack…"  
  
"Leo's right," Cole approved, "we should send for reinforcement. After all, we promised full protection to our hostesses…"  
  
The Duke seemed utterly irritated at his sons' caution:  
"Did I raise cowards," he replied in a hard voice.  
  
Cole stood fast in front of him, and Phoebe, who had heard the clamors and stopped at the door, could now see that he wasn't afraid of his father at all. Against her best judgement, it made her proud, even if she had no right.  
"Father, if I thought we could win this war by going now, you know that I would and so would Leo. The fact is the enemy has the advantage at the moment. We shouldn't take the risk now or we'll most likely lose."  
  
The father and his son stared each other down tensely for a long moment. Everyone around them held their breath. Then the Duke seemed to relax visibly.  
He smiled and slapped his son rudely across the shoulder:  
"Of course, you're right son."  
  
The Duke immediately went back toward the men already on the horses, and then he charged one with the task of going for reinforcement, as his son had suggested. Meanwhile, Cole turned toward the girls.  
"As promised, we will protect you. For the moment, we can efficiently defend the castle for more than a week, I'm sure of that. This should give time for our army to come down and present a strong front to LaTour's army."  
Prue approved of his plan, but noticed his wandering stare, even as he was talking to them. She turned back to see her sister staring back.  
For a moment, even with the distance, there seemed to be electricity passing between them. Prue pursed her lips with serious concern. She had no reason to be jealous, but she knew that it wouldn't do if Cole chose to refuse her in marriage because of Phoebe. She promised herself to have a discussion with her sister as soon as possible.  
  
Phoebe heard the cries first and then Cole did as well after she stopped talking abruptly.   
"Oh, oh, time for a break," Cole said, already on his way to get Jason.  
He changed him and brought him to Phoebe. As she was beginning to nurse him, Cole asked:  
"Can you do that and talk?"  
  
Phoebe smiled.  
"Impatient, are you?"  
  
"I do want to know what happens next, that's for sure…this is better than TV."  
  
"Give me a moment…"  
  
"But just that," he replied as he was settling down again to listen…  
  
The darklighter was back at his observing post, his eyes fixated on Paige's window. He knew exactly how far he had to stay from the manor and the whitelighter. No risk of discovery… She was already in bed, and he could almost imagine her. "Patience," he told himself.  
Paige had been awakened by the baby's cries, and almost got up, but she heard that either Phoebe or Cole was going to his room, and she tried to go back to sleep. This time, it seemed to take her an eternity as Matthew invaded her thoughts. She wanted to give in to her urges and soon. Carefulness was good, but she had needs and they had to be fulfilled. She tossed and turned for quite a while before she found sleep again… 


	4. Love Connections(4)

Love Connections  
Chapter 4  
  
Cole felt so lucky to have them, after all he had been and done, Phoebe had given him a new life and his wonderful son. He didn't get tired of observing them. Phoebe noticed his stare, and she smiled sweetly. In that instant, he felt that he had never loved her more, if that was even possible.  
  
"Ready for the rest," Phoebe asked as she lounged comfortably, while holding Jason.  
  
"Any time…"  
  
***********  
  
'Phoebe had turned abruptly away and entered the castle, so that Cole seemed to wake up from a dream, or Prue thought that's what it looked like. "Not good," she thought, "not good at all…"  
  
The Duke positioned his men on the ramparts and had the drawbridge brought up, preparing for the siege. At the very least, Prue was grateful that he was a good warrior, if not a gentleman. He even took turns as well as his sons, to stand guard. He also sent scouts to find out where exactly the enemy stood, or even if the enemy was really preparing for the attack. It didn't take long for them to return with confirmation. Only a few miles from the castle the scouts had seen at least five hundred men marching toward them.  
  
When Prue tried to resume the discussions with him, the Duke dismissed her summarily. He argued that he didn't have time for this and was not going to get into it until the next day. Prue felt insulted by his attitude, but given the fact that he and his men were the only ones standing between her family and the enemy, she thought better than protesting. Instead, she set out to go see Phoebe, or at least it was her intention but Piper stopped her on the way.  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I have to talk to Phoebe, for I think that we have a problem…"  
  
Piper pinched her lips nervously.  
"I think I know what you're referring to, but Phoebe knows what's at stake. I'm sure that she'll stay away from him…"  
  
"I'd like to believe you, but I saw the way they looked at each other… Do we really know what happened this afternoon…"  
  
"You know Phoebe as well as I do," Piper replied, "She may be flighty on occasions, but she would never betray you or this family; you know that… Please, I think it might be difficult enough for her without you pouncing on her about it…"  
  
"I'm making great sacrifices too…"  
  
Piper looked away painfully.  
"I know."  
  
"All right, I'll leave her be. Maybe you could talk to her?"  
  
Piper smiled gratefully.  
"Thank you."  
  
Prue responded to her smile by one of her own, but her sadness still showed through.  
She knew too well the pain of losing one that you love…  
  
Leo found that his brother seemed distracted. Cole was supposed to be standing guard but Leo could see that his mind was not in it.  
"Cole?"  
  
Cole jumped at his brother's voice.  
"What is it?" He asked almost guiltily.   
  
As he said this, Cole avoided his brother's eyes, looking out in the field instead while waiting for his brother's answer. Leo didn't answer right away, observing his brother closely for a moment.  
"Is something the matter with you?" He finally asked.  
  
"No, why would you ask this?"  
  
Leo uttered a derisive laughter.  
"It's just that I never saw you so distracted. Are you having second thoughts about this marriage?"  
  
Cole hesitated only a moment before turning to him.  
"No, I will do what's best for our family…" He answered firmly.  
  
"What's the problem, then? She's rather pretty, not exactly what I would call a big sacrifice."  
  
"No problem at all…You're seeing things…"  
  
Leo still insisted.  
"Is it that you'll regret your days of philandering?"  
  
Cole couldn't help smiling at his brother's insistence. Until recently, he had indeed been quite the women's man. The number of his conquests was quite legendary. Or so Leo liked to tell around. This amused Cole to no end. Of course, he had really known many women, but most certainly not as many as Leo boasted to anyone who would hear it.  
"You always exaggerate about this, brother…"  
  
"Am I? I've actually been surprised that you only talked to that Phoebe since we arrived. Pretty girls abound around here…"  
  
"I'm to be married, remember?"  
  
"Then why go to her sister rather than your promised?"  
  
Cole knew that he couldn't fool his brother. They had been very close throughout their lives. Maybe it had to do with the severity of their upbringing. Their mother died very young and the Duke was not a tolerant person. They had learned to rely on each other more than once to get through some difficult times.  
"I am simply trying to be friendly to my new family; nothing more."  
  
"Hum, hum!" Leo cleared his throat with obvious doubt.  
  
Cole simply looked away again, and his brother knew better than to insist further. Leo was convinced that if something was really bothering Cole, he would come to him eventually. It had always been like that between them. Leo had a little situation of his own and had been meaning to talk to his brother about it. However, seeing Cole's state of mind, Leo decided to wait until later.  
He, himself, wasn't much of a lady's man. Maybe, because Leo liked to live vicariously through his big brother... But right then, he had found a girl whom he really fancied. Piper was so beautiful and delicate… but his natural shyness prevented Leo from going ahead and courting her. He really needed some advice from Cole, or so he believed. Still, they were definitely staying a while longer, and Leo figured there would be time for this.  
  
Meanwhile, Cole was glad that his brother understood his need for some time alone. He had guessed that Leo wanted to talk to him about a girl of his own, but at the moment, he really didn't want to hear about love…  
  
Cole had never felt so confused in his life. The longing that was occupying his every waking moment, was one that he had never known. True enough, he had never been alone for very long. The ladies did fancy him a lot. But in return, he had never felt any deep feelings toward them. He liked them well enough; just not in a way that would have moved him into choosing one for life. Now thirty, he had agreed to this arranged marriage, certain that he would never find true love. Cole had decided that he might as well start a family for a good reason, if not for love. "And quite frankly," he thought, until he had come to this castle, he had accepted, and even looked forward to his new life. And then, just when Cole thought that everything was settled, it happened. It had been like a lightning strike. The moment he had seen Phoebe, his heart had jumped. Without knowing why, he knew that she had to be the one. Sadly, fate had cruelly made her the wrong sister…  
Cole was torn between his duty and his need for her. This had never been part of the bargain. He couldn't betray his father's wishes, yet how could he ignore the call of his heart?  
Maybe if he had thought that she didn't feel the same way he did, he would've tried harder to forget, but he knew she did. With all the fibers of his being, he knew they both shared the same feelings. Yet they also both had a high sense of duty, and those two facts were irreconcilable.   
Cole berated himself for his inattention then, as he realized that once again, he had been lost in thoughts and not paying attention to his post. The moment he did, he noticed a movement in the undergrowth. It was much too close for comfort, and he knew that his distraction had allowed an enemy to approach unseen.   
  
Cole strained to see if there were more movements but nothing happened for the next few minutes. He was about to sound the alarm anyway, when an arrow suddenly flew toward him. He never had time to duck, before it entered his shoulder, sending him on his back with a scream of pain. Leo, who had only strayed a few paces away along the parapet, came right back toward his brother, alerted by his scream. He found Cole unconscious, while blood seeped rapidly from his wound. Leo immediately called for the guards to stand ready for a possible attack. Then, he lifted his brother in his arms and nervously carried him toward the castle and the relative safety of its walls. In spite of a renewed alertness from the guards, none of them saw anything else that night. A small group of soldiers was even dispatched to survey the undergrowth, but of the attacker, they found no trace. While a servant attended to his brother, Leo surmised that maybe it had been reprisal from the would-be kidnappers rather than a full-blown attack. Nevertheless, his brother was still badly hurt and the news spread like wildfire throughout the castle.   
Piper, who was on her way toward her sister's room, heard the awful news from another servant. She debated for a moment whether she should tell Phoebe about it, and she finally decided that she deserved to know.  
  
Her sister answered at the first knock on her door.  
"Who is it?" Phoebe called.  
  
"It's me, Piper. I really need to talk to you."  
  
"If you want to talk about this afternoon, don't bother, I won't cause problems for Prue. I'll just avoid him, that's all…"  
  
Piper tried the door, and since it was unlocked, she entered uninvited to her sister's irritation.  
"I told you that I don't want to talk about it."  
  
Piper noticed her puffy eyes, and she knew right away that things were even worse than she imagined.  
  
Phoebe turned away from her sister, angrier with herself for showing weakness than at her sister for intruding.  
  
"Phoebe, something happened, something terrible…" Piper began hesitantly.  
  
Phoebe looked back, suddenly alerted.  
"What? Is it Prue?"  
  
Piper looked upon her sister sadly, and then continued.  
"No, it's…Cole."  
  
Phoebe almost screamed.  
"What about him? What's wrong?"  
  
"He has been hurt; he's in the kitchens now…"  
  
Piper barely had time to finish the sentence before her sister ran out of the room, without a doubt on her way to the kitchens. Piper read actual panic on her sister's face.   
  
Phoebe ran all the way to the kitchens, but she stopped in front of the door, out of breath. Fatigue wasn't what stopped her, however. She feared what she would find inside. If he was dead, she thought that she would die too, of chagrin. She couldn't believe how much he already meant to her, but nothing could prevent this. She had tried so hard to put him out of her mind, but to no avail. Before Piper came in her room, Phoebe was debating leaving the castle, no matter the danger; for she didn't believe that she could stay away from him.  
  
And now, that Cole might be dying, her heart sunk. Finally, she took her courage in hands and entered the room, slowly going to the table where he was lying listlessly. The servants were still busy bandaging the wound, and it at least told her that he was alive. When she got close enough to see his face, she noticed Cole's pallid complexion and she almost fainted out of fright. Unable to resist her impulse, Phoebe bent toward him, touching his face lovingly. She completely forgot about the adverse situation they were facing. All that mattered now was that he lived.  
"Please my love, you have to live…" Phoebe whispered as she put a light kiss on his feverish forehead.  
  
That is the moment her sister Prue and his father chose to enter the room. The both of them watch the spectacle with appalled expressions. However, by respect for the wounded, neither one said a word.  
  
It took a long moment for Phoebe to even acknowledge their presence… and even then it was only by a quick nod. Afterward, she ignored all but Cole, as she feared that even one moment of inattention would be the last.  
  
After a while, one of the servants brought a chair so that Phoebe could sit by Cole's side. She accepted gratefully, realizing only then how much the emotions had drained her. All the while the other people in the room found that they didn't want to intrude. Prue stood back, although she was ready to wait as well. The Duke seemed more restless and he went out in the hallway, where he paced back and forth, worried sick about his oldest son.   
  
That whole night and for the best part of the next morning, Cole remained unconscious, and Phoebe never left his side, not even when she saw the looks of reproach from her big sister. Nothing and no one would make her leave him now. Sometimes that morning, Prue left the room to go take care of some domestic task which required her presence, while the Duke went to check on his soldiers, worried as he was that an attack might be imminent.   
Leo had stayed in the room however, determined not to leave his brother until he was certain that Cole would live. Phoebe was resting her head lightly on Cole's hand, as she was exhausted and dozed off. Suddenly, she felt his arm moving and she woke right up. . Cole kept his eyes closed but his head was moving as well, as if he was trying to chase sleep away. Finally, he opened his eyes to find Phoebe gazing back at him. Even through the pain, this brought a smile to his lips.  
"Am I dead? For I see an angel watching over me…" Cole said in a hoarse voice, still very weak from his ordeal.   
  
Phoebe smiled at the first sign of his possible recovery nonetheless.  
"You better stay alive," she said, in a falsely severe tone of voice, "or I will kill you myself for scaring me like this…"  
  
For a long moment afterward, they simply looked into each other's eyes, exchanging without a sound all the words that they couldn't say aloud. Leo, who had also dozed off, woke up and realized that his brother was conscious at last. He came to him with a bright smile.  
"Hey you, don't ever do this to me again," he uttered, "I don't think my heart can take it."  
  
Reluctantly, Cole turned toward him, still managing to smile weakly.  
"Then," he said "I will have to be more careful, I wouldn't want to have your death on my conscience; heaven forbid…"  
  
Leo laughed heartily at this, now convinced that his brother would be fine as his very special sense of humor had returned as well.  
  
The servant, one with experience with sicknesses and treating them, came around and confirmed it for them.  
"The fever has broken, mistress. I do think that the sire will be fine. He only needs to rest from now on."  
  
Phoebe nodded gratefully toward him before looking back toward Cole, barely believing that he was all right.  
However, now that the worst of her fears was behind her, the sad reality came back to Phoebe. Nothing had changed; they both knew it. She could read it in his eyes.  
She could easily read the sadness in him, because it was echoed by the same sorrow inside of her. Phoebe also realized how exhausted she truly was, when a sudden bout of dizziness shook her. Leo noticed just in time before she fell to the floor. He held on to her to give her a chance to recuperate, and then offered to accompany her to her rooms for some well-needed rest.  
  
Phoebe still hesitated to leave however and when Cole saw her worried expression, he reassured her.  
"I will be fine, don't worry…"  
  
The servant added: "Yes mistress, we will take care of him. He will be moved to his room shortly and watched constantly. You should go rest now."  
  
One last time, Phoebe and Cole looked into each other's eyes, knowing that they might get another chance, and then Phoebe allowed Cole's brother to lead her out of the room. Cole watched her going while his expression darkened considerably. He knew that she wouldn't be back.   
  
****************  
  
"Well that is rather sad. I don't think that I could've let you go like this…"  
  
"Those were other times and besides, the story's not over. Although for now, I've got to put this one to bed," she said, indicating Jason, now asleep in her arms.  
Cole kissed her on the lips, careful not to disturb the infant.  
"I still say that I wouldn't have let you go…"  
Phoebe smiled sweetly, and then she left the room with her precious burden.  
  
Coleridge sensed the darklighter and orbed out immediately. This was the third time that night alone. He started to wonder what the deal was. Although darklighters were their mortal enemies, rare were the occasions where they were actively pursuing each other. Yet, at least one of them seemed to be on his tracks. He knew better than going to his charge then, and instead he orbed up. Maybe the darklighter would get tired of waiting? 


	5. Love Connections(5)

Love Connections  
Chapter 5  
  
When Coleridge mentioned his little problem to the Elders, they were just as puzzled as he had been about it. They strongly suggested he stayed put for a while. Coleridge countered that he could enlist his son's help and Leo's. However, the Elders simply thought that the darklighter probably had some reason to follow him which would most certainly go away soon… Coleridge had his doubts on that but he agreed to follow their advice.  
  
At the manor, Leo woke up with a start. This time he was certain he had felt the telltale of a darklighter's presence close by…  
The sensation was fleeting however, and he looked around in puzzlement. Piper was still sleeping and he didn't want to disturb her. Not for something like this at least. After another moment without any other sign, he again believed that he had been mistaken. Although uneasily, he went back to sleep…  
  
The Darklighter saw Jacob going way too close for comfort to the manor. His colleague obviously was not too worried about being discovered, but he was... That ended his watch for the night. He saw Jacob orbing out and then he did too, just in case.  
Jacob himself had lost track of one of his targets and was now very frustrated. That was why he came to take a look at the place where his second target stayed. He wasn't worried about the whitelighter detecting him. On the contrary, he welcomed him to follow. However, he realized just in time that the little problem his partner had mentioned was actually living right by the second target. The sensation had been unmistakable as well. The moment he sensed the Archangel, Jacob orbed out in a hurry, determined to put as much distance between him and the danger as he could. Jacob then promised himself to have another discussion with his treacherous partner.  
  
Cole felt a sudden chill, and he wondered about it for a moment. However, the sensation went away as fast as it had come, and by the time Phoebe reentered the room, he had already dismissed it.  
"Is he sleeping?"  
  
Phoebe came toward the bed and lied down before answering.  
"Like an angel." She turned to Cole with an amused smile: "no pun intended…"  
  
Cole still approved.  
"Well, he might as well be one… I often wonder how I can possibly qualify as one myself…"  
  
Phoebe snuggled to him.  
"I disagree…"  
  
"Of course, you would."  
  
"And my opinion is the only one that matters…"  
  
Cole laughed and tightened his hold on her.  
"Ok now, I have to know the rest…"  
  
Phoebe looked up with a mischievous expression.  
"Really?"  
  
"Really!" He insisted.  
She drew a lazy line on his chest with her finger and said.  
"You must be really interested…"  
  
He chuckled:  
"The night is young…"  
Phoebe rested her head on his chest, then:  
"Well there it is…"  
  
'The Duke was relieved to hear the news about his son, but now he intended to take care of the new problem that had aroused…  
He found Prue, still busy in the great hall, where she was making sure that her people would ration the food and drinks in prevision of a possible lengthy siege. He didn't lose any time and summarily dismissed the domestics, to Prue's utter displeasure. The man was taking too many liberties in her house, and she intended to have it with him, but again he didn't give her a chance, attacking first.  
"What kind of trickery are you trying on me and my sons?"  
  
Prue opened wide eyes at the obvious accusation.  
"What are you talking about? We have been nothing if honest and up front in our intentions."  
  
The Duke wasn't going to be deflated so easily.  
"Are you trying to break our arrangement by having your sister seducing my son?"  
  
Prue gasped at this.  
"How dare you?"  
  
"I have eyes… She was all over him…"  
  
"Out of concern…"  
  
The Duke insisted: "I've seen concern; that wasn't it…If you think you can get out of our agreement this way, you're gravely mistaken…"  
  
Prue couldn't stand it anymore.  
"Did it ever occur to you that your son might have been just as guilty? I should be the one insulted, as I have seen the way he looks at her…"  
  
"My son is a man of honor," The Duke replied with a hint of hesitation. "Cole will fulfill his duty, and so will you," he added more forcefully.  
  
"Far from me to try escaping my obligations…"  
  
"I'll hold you to this, and so will my son as soon as he gets better…"  
  
The two measured each other for another moment, and then the man left the room abruptly.  
Prue sighed heavily. She hated what she had to do. With everything that she was, she knew where her duty lied, but it didn't make her feel better about it.  
She went out in turn, determined to have the discussion that she should have had earlier with her sister, hadn't it been for her weakness.   
  
Phoebe fell on her bed as soon as Leo had left. She cried inconsolably, like never in her entire life. "What cruel fate befell her", she thought bitterly. Her chest was so tight that she imagined the life being squeezed out of her slowly. At this point, she would almost have welcomed death, as she was certain that nothing else would stop this pain. However, she didn't have much time to dwell on her sorrow as another knock on the door interrupted her somber thoughts. She almost ignored it, but the knocking became more insistent and she got up slowly.  
"Come in," she said in a strangled voice.  
  
Prue entered the room and all the reproaches she had meant to give her sister stayed in her throat. Phoebe looked so pitiful. Her eyes were swollen and it was easy to guess that she had been crying … Prue had never known her sister to be in such pain and it broke her heart. She thought that losing Paul was difficult, but seeing her sister like this was almost too much to bear. Rather than the talk Prue intended to have with Phoebe, she ran to her and wrapped her arms around her, both of them in tears at this point. There was no need for words as they both shared a very similar grief.  
  
Phoebe was the one who finally broke the silence.  
"I'm so sorry to have added to your burden, I swear that I didn't mean to…"  
  
"I know; I understand…"  
  
Phoebe pulled away from her, almost angrily.  
"Do you, really? Because I don't! What happened to me?"  
  
"You simply fell in love, Phoebe…"  
Phoebe:  
"But why him; why now? How could I be so weak?"  
  
"Love is not a weakness, but it can hurt."  
  
Phoebe turned to her at this. She knew exactly what her sister meant.  
Then, she seemed to make a decision.  
"As soon as it's safe, I'll leave."  
  
Prue gasped.  
"Where would you go?"  
  
"I'll go with Paul, live at his parents' Estate. I'll see from there. I can't stay here; it would be too hard for all of us…"  
  
Prue sadly had to admit that it was the only solution. She wished that things were not so complicated. She took leave of her sister with a heavy heart, now convinced that she had lost a sister in the bargain at the same time as the man she loved. The price was starting to feel almost too high…  
Her next stop was for her fiancé's room, where she found him awake but lost in thoughts. His vague expression told her that his state of mind was not much better than Phoebe's and hers.  
"Are you feeling better," Prue asked?  
  
Cole took a moment before acknowledging her, but when he did, she saw that he made an effort to cover his own pain.  
  
"Yes… thank you for asking. Hopefully I'll be up soon and we can prepare for our nuptials…" he continued in a flat voice.  
  
"Yes," Prue answered in kind. Not knowing what else to say, she simply took a seat and stayed by his side. It didn't take him long to return to his sad contemplation and Prue wondered what kind of life they could hope to have with such a somber beginning…  
  
The next morning, things had not gotten any better, on the contrary. About five hundred meters away, De LaTour's army was massing around the castle, but still keeping at a safe distance from the defenses already in place. The Duke recommended that all those who were not to fight be relocated toward the center of the castle. There was no telling when the enemy would start his attack, and they followed the Duke's advice to the letter. The reinforcement would not be here for several days. All they could hope for was that they could hold the place until then.  
  
Leo came to see his brother before taking his post and this one was really upset at his own impotence.  
"I should be out there helping, but as an imbecile I got myself hurt and now I feel like a woman cowering behind these walls…"  
  
Leo was surprised by the intensity of his reaction.  
"Hola, since when are you in such a hurry to battle? And besides, I wouldn't go and compare myself to a woman and a coward in the same phrase within these walls. Those girls are remarkably brave."  
  
Leo immediately saw the softening in his brother's attitude and wondered about it.  
"Brother, you still haven't told me what bothered you? Was it Lady Phoebe?"  
Cole didn't answer, but he looked away and Leo understood that he had guessed right.  
"Cole, you didn't…"  
His brother turned abruptly toward him and his expression told him not to finish the sentence.  
  
"Well," Leo said after a moment, "I guess that I'll take my post now…"  
Leo was already on his way when Cole called back.  
"Wasn't there something else you wanted to ask me?"  
  
Leo came back hesitantly.  
"I didn't think that you'd want to hear about it…"  
  
"Come on, don't be shy," Cole said to him and for a moment, he almost smiled.  
  
Leo stepped from one foot to the other with a little embarrassment.   
"It's about…hem, it's about Lady Piper…"  
"Yes and?"  
  
Sometimes, Cole thought that Leo was still a little boy, one that would have grown much too fast.  
"I gather that you're interested?" he insisted when Leo could not seem to find the words.  
  
"Yes that's it…What do I do?"  
  
"You're asking me?"  
  
Leo became more animated.  
"Who else am I gonna ask?"  
  
Cole sighed.  
"All I can tell you is that if you think that she's the one, you shouldn't hesitate to go to her. And don't wait too long…"  
  
Leo could sense the emotional pain his brother was in through his words, and he understood then that his brother had found and lost love all at once. It pained him greatly to see him in such chagrin. He just wished that he knew what to say to alleviate Cole's pain, but nothing came to mind.  
"I think that I'll follow your advice," he finally said.   
  
Cole nodded in agreement, and then looked away, again lost in thoughts.  
  
Leo stayed a moment longer but he could see that his brother had already dismissed him in his mind. He then left without another word.  
  
Following his brother's advice as promised, he went to look for Piper. Leo was so nervous that when he finally found her, he stood there without a word, petrified.   
Finally, Piper took the matter in her own hands.  
"Good day! How are things outside?"  
  
Leo smiled stupidly, feeling totally inept at the moment, and yet happy to be there with her.  
"Nothing has changed," he managed to reply, but in a voice that he barely recognized as his own. He felt his face warming up and knew that she must have noticed his nervousness. Yet, she simply smiled and went on.  
"I'm really glad that your father and you are here to help."  
  
"Yes," was all Leo could say, and he berated himself for his stupidity.  
He pursued, turning away from her.  
"I have to go back…"  
  
Piper called to him.  
"Sir?"  
  
Only half turning toward her, he said quickly:  
"Leo… You can call me Leo."  
  
Her smile brightened.  
"Leo," Piper uttered softly and his heart melted.  
"Leo, she repeated again, "will you have supper with me tonight?"  
His smile was all the answer that she needed.  
"Seven sharp, in the small salon…"  
  
Leo nodded in agreement before almost running out.  
Outside, he stopped and inhaled deeply. Then he smiled happily to himself before taking his post for the afternoon.  
  
For the next few days, nothing really happened as the opponents were just standing each on their side, waiting for the other to make the first move. Leo came to realize that they might just have the advantage of surprise when their own army arrived. If De LaTour had known about this, he probably would have attacked by now.  
  
The Duke agreed with this and hoped that their luck would hold until the said reinforcement had arrived. It was not to be…   
  
Leo used this time to get better acquainted with Piper, whom he was growing fonder of for every passing moment. At first, it had been difficult to go passed his timidity, but soon he realized that he could talk to her almost as freely as he did his brother. By the morning of the third day of the siege, he already knew that he wanted her to be his wife. Leo just hoped that she felt the same. Something else, however, bothered him. He was so happy in spite of all the troubles. And yet, his brother and most other people in there were suffering. He was almost ashamed by his own joy.  
  
Obviously there came a point where the Duke of De LaTour got tired of waiting and that morning, he made his first move.   
Positioning his catapult, he began bombarding the walls, concentrating on the area of the drawbridge, which told the defenders that he intended an insertion shortly.  
  
The noise was repetitive and unnerving to all inside the fortress. Cole, who had already recuperated most of his strength, was now itching to go out with his fellow men. Staying in this room day in and day out had done nothing to alleviate his pain and he needed to do something besides thinking about her. "And fast," he told himself. The other thing was that his father had come to him that morning and the conversation had been one that he would have preferred to forget about. It was a rather one-sided talk at that. His father had come in blazing. Without giving Cole a chance to explain himself, the Duke had started on a lengthy speech about his duty to him and his family. He had insisted on the fact that his feelings were of no consequence when the family's interests were at stake… Although he was upset at his father for his mistrust of his honor, Cole allowed him to say his piece, simply hoping that he would leave sooner if he did. After a few minutes, the Duke had seemed to deflate somewhat. He obviously had expected protestations from his son and his silence possibly worried him more than an all out fight.  
  
Cole however, had already made up his mind, convinced by now that Phoebe had made the hard choice for him. Therefore, he didn't see the point in arguing with his father about this. He would do the right thing by his family, no matter how hard …  
  
Outside, the archers were lining up, ready for an assault, while servants were dispatched to reinforce the walls with anything that they could find. Even the heavy wood that composed the large doors to the drawbridge were starting to give signs of weakness as the repeated hits from the catapult continued throughout the morning.  
Phoebe jumped for every hit, now at the end of her resistance. For the last three days she had remained in her rooms, barely touching the food that was still brought regularly to her. She had slept only a few hours in all, and she didn't know how much more of this she could take. Prue and Piper had taken turns to keep her company on occasions, but neither one of them had been able to shake her out of her deep sorrow. By the afternoon of the third day, she finally decided that she had to go out of this room before she went crazy. Most of her windows had been walled with heavy planks and the darkness inside did nothing to help her. Only meaning to get some air from a walk in the inner courtyard, she stepped out of the room…  
  
Cole was now going mad with impatience and the desire to help. He knew that the attack was imminent and that every good arm would count even if he only had one of use at the moment. Finally, he went out, determined to do whatever he could…  
  
Phoebe didn't know exactly why, but instead of the courtyard, she found herself in the corridor leading to Cole's room. Just as she was about to turn back, she saw him…  
Cole had his back to Phoebe, but as if he had felt her, he stopped and slowly turned toward her. She was stuck in place. She wanted to run away for fear of what would happen but she couldn't. Then, suddenly she took a step forward, and then another… That was enough for him to forget everything that wasn't her. He ran to her, almost lifting her off the ground in his arms. His lips found hers immediately and the kiss took both their breaths away. He only left her mouth to kiss her puffy eyes and her face, as if he could take away her pain in doing so. Phoebe wanted to protest but the moment he touched her, she knew that if felt right, as if they had been meant to be together forever. His arms around her felt like home. She responded by touching his face, caressing him hungrily.   
He stopped only a moment, looking at her with such desire that she thought she could already feel him all over her.  
Then she simply whispered:  
"I want to be yours, even if just once…"  
  
In spite of the pain in his shoulder, he carried her to his room, locking the door behind them. He laid her on the bed, while still kissing her hungrily. Only then did he pull away from her, hesitating.  
"Are you certain," Cole asked hoarsely, almost afraid of her answer.  
  
Rather than words, she proved it to him by pulling him to her and kissing him in turn. Then they forgot all about their doubts…  
  
All that afternoon, they made love breathlessly, desperately. They didn't feel guilt, as it felt so right to both of them. They were oblivious to the clamors outside and the still deafening noise of the catapult. All that existed in that moment was each other.  
Finally, after many hours, they were spent and just lying down in each other's arms. They had not said a single word for none was needed. Phoebe sensed that they had connected in a manner that transcended any conversation. No word could truly express the way she felt about him. Unfortunately, an insistent knocking on the door interrupted their perfect moment. Leo was calling to Cole.  
"Brother? Something has happened… Lady Phoebe disappeared…"  
  
Phoebe gasped, all the guilt returning at once. Cole put his fingers on her lips, and then tried his best to sound concerned. Although considering the situation, it wasn't too difficult.  
"I'll be out in a moment, don't wait for me; go look for her…"  
  
Leo seemed puzzled.  
"Cole?"  
  
Cole then sounded angry when he replied.  
"Don't lose time; you've got to find her…"  
  
"Right!" Leo answered, obviously put off with his brother's attitude.  
  
Then they heard him walking away in a hurry and they both breathed a deep sigh of relief at the same time.  
  
"I have to go…" Phoebe said very seriously.  
  
Cole was loath to let go of her, even if he knew that she was right.  
  
When he wouldn't release her, Phoebe continued sadly:  
"You have to let me go…"  
  
He breathed deeply and then:  
"I can't lose you; not now."  
  
Phoebe knew that she had to be reasonable for the both of them, even if she didn't want to.  
"You know that we can never be together again. You have to accept it…"  
  
"Can you? After this afternoon, can you really?"  
  
Phoebe tried her best to sound firm when she answered.  
"I have to and so do you…"  
  
Reluctantly, he allowed her get out of bed and she put on her clothes slowly as he watched her. Cole couldn't keep his eyes from her, drinking every moment like a man lost in a desert, who had found an oasis, but then was about to lose it again.  
Finally she was ready, but unwilling to move away. They looked in each other's eyes for a long moment before she found the courage to turn toward the door. Unable to contain himself, he ran to her and pressed her against it. He kissed her again breathlessly, but she pushed him away.  
"We can't do this anymore…"  
  
He took her face in his hands, forcing her to look up at him.  
"No matter what happens, I will always love you. I may have to belong to another, but my heart will always be yours…"  
  
Phoebe whispered:  
"And mine yours, forever…"  
  
Cole kissed her one last time before she found the courage to leave the room.  
  
Rather than returning to her rooms, she directed her paces toward the great hall, where she was sure that she would find one or the other of her sisters, or at least someone to reassure that she wasn't lost. However, before she reached the hall, she stopped herself, afraid that they could read on her face the telltale of her long afternoon. She almost turned around but a scream of relief behind her made the decision for her.  
  
"Where were you, we were worried sick?" Piper was questioning anxiously.  
  
Phoebe slowly turned toward her sister, careful to dissimulate her true feelings.  
"I was simply outside; I needed some air…"  
  
"We looked everywhere…"  
  
Phoebe became irritated with her sister's insistence.  
"Obviously you haven't… But no matter, I wasn't lost and now I want to go back to my room." Her tone of voice softened.  
"Tell everyone that I'm fine and I'm sorry I caused such trouble. Particularly in light of what's happening outside…"  
  
"All that matters is that you're safe."  
  
They were interrupted by a loud crash coming from the courtyard, followed by screams of fright.  
The catapult had finally done its work and one of the projectiles had gone through the raised drawbridge.  
  
The two sisters ran inside the great hall, and then to the nearest window as another loud crash was heard telling them that the end might be nearer than they had believed. Outside, the men were lighting up fires along the parapets and preparing their bows and the boiling oil to repress the attack. More of them were massing around the drawbridge, ready for an insertion. Another projectile hit it and crashed through. Then the attack seemed to stop. The men on the parapet looked nervously out in the field and one of them suddenly extended his arm and screamed something that they couldn't hear. All the rest of them stood at attention. Phoebe and Piper guessed that the enemy was now advancing on them. Where were the reinforcements, they both thought? They held each other, trembling in fear. Leo, who had already gone out to help with the defense, saw his brother running toward him and taking position wordlessly.  
He puzzled about Cole's lack of concern for Lady Phoebe.  
"We haven't found the Lady yet," Leo finally said while looking at the approaching army.  
Cole didn't turn to him but answered.  
"She was found and she's fine."  
  
Leo sensed that his brother was not telling him everything but now was not the time for questioning, as the first few soldiers of the opposing army were laying down planks across the waterway and bringing in a large battering ram. The men who carried it were heavily armored, to protect themselves against the arrows. However, the Duke had ordered to hold off the shooting until it was absolutely necessary; they had to save the ammunitions for as long as they could. Moreover, a company of archers was standing at the ready, not 50 meters from the walls. They were well prepared and the two brothers feared that this might be the end.  
  
The noise began again, this time fast and furious as the enemy hit the drawbridge repeatedly. The Duke finally ordered the men to counterattack. They started shooting at the soldiers carrying the battering ram and threw the boiling oil over them. However, their raised shields deflected most of it. It still slowed them down considerably, but then the archers' company attacked in turn. In the first volley, three of the defenders fell mortally wounded toward the courtyard, while the others stood fast, sending waves after waves of flaming arrows toward the company.  
  
Meanwhile, swords in hands, the rest of the men were waiting for the drawbridge to fail, as it was obvious that it would soon. Leo and Cole stood among them, ready to fight by their men's side. Prue was watching from the main doors and her sisters soon joined her. Prue glanced suspiciously toward her middle sister, but this one looked away.   
"Where were you," Prue asked.  
  
Phoebe avoided her eyes while answering impatiently.  
"Just out! Does it really matter now?"  
  
Prue had to admit that indeed the time was not for recriminations and she resumed watching the battle.  
  
As she saw the doors cave inwardly, Prue turned to her sisters nervously.  
"There's no need for either one of you to be outside…"  
  
"You shouldn't be here either and yet you are." Piper countered.  
  
Prue had a good reason to be there. Paul had insisted on participating at the defense, and he now stood among the soldiers. She feared for all of them of course, but for him more than anyone else…  
  
Phoebe and Piper had the same respective concerns and none of them budged from their observing post.  
  
Cole had noticed them but tried his best not to look back. He didn't want to add fuel to the suppositions that were sure to come. "If they lived through this of course," he thought.  
The Duke came toward them, sword in hand. He was ready to fight and so were they all, in spite of their understandable fear.  
Finally the drawbridge, weakened by the catapult and the battering ram, gave way, coming down all at once from all the weak spots. The enemies simply dropped the ram to the ground and turned back, obviously leaving room for the next wave.  
This one didn't take long to come as at least a hundred men, maybe more started running toward the now gaping hole where the door had stood. The Duke ordered his men in position and they waited for them. The archers managed to thin their ranks slightly as they were charging but not enough to diminish the threat significantly, and soon the first of the charging men crossed the large hole in the wall and ran toward the waiting soldiers inside.  
  
The battle that ensued was rather unequal, as they were fighting at least three against one in favor of the enemy. Yet, the Duke's men held their ground whilst the girls finally saw that they should reenter the castle at this point, which they did, albeit reluctantly. The heavy doors didn't muffle the sounds of the battle however, as swords were clashing in a deafening manner, mixed with the screams of rage and pain from the men. They found themselves praying for the safety of their defenders.   
  
The Duke and his sons were fighting fiercely using their learnt skills to kill three of the attackers for each one of their numbers falling. However, their ranks were thinning rapidly and the battle seemed hopelessly lost when a clamor came from outside the walls. A trumpet sounded retreat apparently, because the attackers began moving away from them. Unfortunately, this was too late for the Duke who was still fighting with a particularly skilled enemy. This one finally managed to impale the Duke, now mortally wounded. Nevertheless, the Duke managed to retaliate by cutting his head with one big swipe of his sword before falling heavily to the ground.  
  
As the last of the attackers left the courtyard, the men left alive looked at each other in surprise, until they saw the messenger that the Duke had dispatched to fetch the reinforcements coming through the doors in turn. He soon reassured them that the enemy was retreating rapidly, now overwhelmingly outnumbered not only by the Duke of Cairns' army, but also by men who had deserted the girls earlier but returned after hearing of his involvement.  
Reassured as to the fate of the battle, the brothers finally saw that their father was down and they ran toward him.  
  
Cole was the first to bend toward the Duke, a sad expression crossing his features as he recognized the gravity of his father's wound.  
  
This one was still barely alive, but managed to look at his sons.  
"Cole," he said under his breath, "my domain is now yours…"  
  
"No father, we'll help you…"  
  
The Duke's lips expanded in a failed attempt at a smile.  
"I'm done for… You have better make me proud," he added.  
  
Cole, now resigned, answered.  
"I'll honor you, father."  
  
Leo took his father's hand and this one managed to squeeze his one last time before he expired…  
The two brothers stayed by their father's for a long moment, still shocked by his passing, but then Cole took his brother' shoulder and shook him up.  
"We have many wounded to attend to; this day is not over yet. Our father would want us to take care of them…"  
  
Leo nodded weakly, and then he followed him. The ladies were already tending to the wounded, along with many servants. The two brothers and the men still standing helped carry those who couldn't walk inside. Then they began the grim task of digging the graves of their fallen. Their army had followed the enemy in its retreat until they were certain that they had left the Ladies' land for good. Then after they returned, they camped out of the fortress's walls and helped in the task as well.  
  
Cole rapidly took control of the situation. He had never wished to be in charge, but his father had nevertheless raised him with this in mind. It had always been his destiny to inherit the family's holdings and responsibilities. He was going to honor this.  
However, no matter how sad the circumstances were, there was one bright point that didn't escape him, and as soon as he could free himself, he went to see Prue.  
  
Cole found her and her sisters, still tending to some wounded men, now lying in the great hall.  
"Lady Prue," he called to her. She finished bandaging the man she had been treating before turning to him.  
"Yes?"  
  
"I have to talk to you; right now…"  
  
Prue went to him, a little uncertain.  
  
Cole started rapidly:  
"The circumstances have changed considerably and I had to rethink our arrangement…"  
  
Prue was about to protest but he didn't give her the chance.  
"I can't in all conscience marry you… and since my father is dead, I don't have to impose the same conditions on you as he did. I have no ambition over your land, unlike him."  
  
"What will happen of us in the future? We still haven't got enough means to defend ourselves…"  
  
Leo had just entered the hall as well and was going toward Piper.  
This distracted Prue's attention as well as Cole's, but she soon returned to the problem at hand.  
"So?"  
  
"As I told you, I have no ambition to take your land, and as you can see, our two families will most probably be tied by marriage very soon…"  
Cole was indicating his brother and Piper. Then he added:  
"And god willing, more than once," he said again, turning his attention toward Phoebe.  
"Because of this, my family will protect yours for all times, I promise you that on my honor."  
  
Prue couldn't help asking.  
"Could this be put in writing as well?"  
  
Cole gave her an amused smile.  
"Of course, if that's what you want. I wouldn't want to have any bad blood between us since I may soon need your permission for something dear to my heart."  
  
Prue had no doubts on what he was talking about, and wasn't surprised either when he left her abruptly, not waiting for an answer.  
  
Phoebe was wiping her forehead at the moment, just getting up from tending to yet another wounded when she felt strong arms around her waist and jumped in surprise.  
She turned toward Cole, trying to push him off.  
"No you mustn't!"  
  
Cole was not going to be turned away so easily.  
"Phoebe, I just promised to your sister all the protection of my armies and assured her that I wanted nothing of your estate… That is except one thing…"  
  
She stopped struggling and looked up with a renewed hope.  
"Yes?"  
  
Cole gazed at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  
"My only condition is that you will marry me…"  
  
Then when she didn't answer, he became nervous.  
"You will, won't you?" He asked anxiously.  
  
Then she kissed him and almost screamed.  
"Yes, of course yes."  
  
Paul, who had entered shortly before this, and witnessed what just happened, came to Prue with a puzzled expression.  
"Does this mean what I think it means?"  
  
Prue smiled happily:  
"I think so."  
******************  
Phoebe fell silent and Cole questioned:  
"That's it?"  
  
She laughed a little before answering.  
"What else do you want?"  
  
Cole smiled.  
"I don't know, maybe that they all lived happily ever after…"  
  
Phoebe now laughed frankly.  
"I never imagined you for such a romantic…"  
Cole teased.  
"Goes to say…"  
  
"Well that's all I saw in the dream. At least in that one… But I imagine they did…"  
  
"And where was Paige all this time?"  
  
"I think that she fell for the stable boy, who bore a very strong resemblance to her present boyfriend from the description she gave to me. I can't be sure of course, since I haven't seen him yet…"  
  
"The stable boy?"  
  
"Hey love happens between all kinds of people. Look at us…"  
  
"You got that right… So, what else did you see?"  
  
Phoebe turned toward him purposefully.  
"Later…"  
Cole didn't protest…  
  
Jacob was waiting for him and his expression told the Darklighter that a problem had aroused.  
"You didn't think of mentioning that the Archangel lived in the house next to the other whitelighter?"  
  
"I thought that I told you that he was not going to be a problem…"  
  
"I happen to disagree on this," Jacob protested. "However, I'll still honor our arrangement but from now on, no more dissimulation."  
  
The Darklighter acquiesced in silence and as soon as Jacob orbed out, he smiled… 


	6. Love Connections(6)

Love Connections  
Chapter six  
  
Matthew was walking back and forth, thinking hard.  
"Maybe I should have stayed away," he worried.  
"But how could I have," he continued. "She's so precious…"  
  
Suddenly, a chill interrupted his train of thoughts, as he turned around to face the newcomer.  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
The Darklighter raised his bow, threatening but not firing.  
"Don't try anything foolish, brother…"  
  
Leo woke up from a troubled sleep. It was still dark and he realized that he had not slept more than an hour since he had sensed the darklighter. In his dream, one had materialized in their room and without wait, sent his arrow at him…  
He somehow knew that it had to have been more than a nightmare. The signs had been there and he had ignored them… Leo debated whether to wait, but there was no point in delaying… Who knew if his dream might not become reality in the next few minutes? He turned to Piper and even if it pained him to disturb her now, he shook her awake.  
  
"What is it?" she asked sleepily.  
  
"I have to go and I would prefer that you went to Phoebe's…"  
  
Now wide awake, Piper stood on one elbow.  
"Why?"  
  
"As a matter of fact," Leo continued instead, "I'll go with you and have a talk with Cole…"  
  
"Hey don't leave me in the dark…What the hell's happening?"  
  
"I felt a darklighter earlier, and at first it was so quick that I believed I imagined it… but I don't think that anymore…"  
  
"Ok, that is disturbing, but what does it have to do with Cole?"  
  
"Remember a few weeks ago? Coleridge was almost killed by a darklighter and we never found him…"  
  
"And you think that he's back?"  
  
"Possibly, and with all the trouble that they've gone to the last time, I'm worried that we are all in for more if we don't act now."  
  
Without asking anymore questions, Piper got out of bed. She was just as anxious as Leo to take care of the situation. Piper couldn't forget that the first attack had also almost cost her life, and she was certain that Leo thought of the same thing at the moment. Very soon they were both out of the manor, walking nervously toward the Turners. They half expected to see the darklighter at any time…  
  
Phoebe and Cole had fallen asleep when the knock on the door had them jumping.  
"Who the hell is this?" Cole uttered with irritation.  
He still got up and put on a robe, as Phoebe was questioning herself as well and got up to follow him.  
  
They were surprised to find Leo and Piper there with grim expressions.  
"What is it?" Phoebe asked anxiously. She knew that her sister wouldn't be coming here at this hour if there weren't a good reason.  
  
"I think that we might have a problem…"  
  
Cole looked at him derisively.  
"Other than the fact you're coming here in the middle of the night?"  
  
"Cole I'm serious…"  
  
"So was I…"  
  
Phoebe put a hand on Cole's arm and he sighed in resignation, before letting them in.  
The baby cried upstairs, disturbed by the new arrivals and Phoebe headed toward the stairs while the others settled in the living room. She only went halfway up however before Paige came toward her with Jason in her arms. Obviously everyone was awake by then and Phoebe thought that it had been the shortest night in a long time.  
"Who is it?" Paige asked with a little point of anxiety as well.  
  
Phoebe told her while taking the baby.  
"It's just as well that you are awake. Leo thinks that we might've a problem, and I suppose that it concerns all of us…"  
  
Paige didn't like the sound of it. The last problem they had faced was still giving her pause when she thought about it…  
  
They entered the living room where the conversation had already started.  
  
"You felt a darklighter and just like that assumed that it had to be related?" He was asking incredulously.  
  
"I've got to trust my instincts, and they're telling me to be cautious, that's all…"  
Cole was about to reply when Phoebe again stopped him.  
"What exactly is it that you fear Leo?"  
  
Leo turned to her.  
"As you know, when we found Gandel, we realized that his partner had vanquished him, and we also were convinced at the time that it had to be the darklighter that attacked Coleridge who did it…"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Well tonight I felt another one, very close to our house. I can't help but think that the darklighter might be back for more…"  
  
Piper now questioned.  
"For what purpose? Is it to get to you?"  
  
"Maybe but I doubt it," Leo answered. "I'm starting to think there might be much more to all of this than just a warlock wanting to get to Paige… What if the darklighter had his own motivations for his actions?"  
  
"And those would be?"  
  
Leo shrugged, irritated.  
"I don't know but…"  
  
"How are you going to know?"  
  
"I thought we should go to the elders and consult with them…"  
  
"What's with the "we" business?"  
  
"You and your father were also attacked by this darklighter, and if we're going to find out more about all this, we may need to go after him… You could be of help in that eventuality…"  
  
"Hum… You know, what comes to mind is a very different scenario… This darklighter of yours may have figured that we are surrounded by whitelighters here and that it's an all-you-can-eat buffet…"  
  
"Cole…" Phoebe uttered somewhat warningly.  
  
"Alright…But I still think that it's stupid for me to go when you suspect that trouble might be coming this way…"  
  
Piper intervened.  
"We'll be just fine. And frankly, "she added with a little hint of irritation of her own, "we managed without you for a long time…I think that we can still manage, since we have the power of three again…"  
  
Paige was a little uncomfortable with Piper's assurances, but she kept quiet…  
  
Cole stared at her with raised eyebrows, telling her silently but eloquently that he was not very impressed by her outburst. That made Piper even more irritated and she shrugged angrily. However, he turned to Phoebe and asked:  
"What do you think?"  
  
"I think Piper is right… we're gonna be just fine on our own and if Leo thinks that you could be of help, then you should go…"  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
She smiled.  
"Yes, I'm sure."  
Cole then addressed Leo directly.  
"Ok then, let's go. The sooner we do this, the sooner we'll be back…"  
  
"Don't you wanna change?"  
  
"Hum, you're right…"  
He immediately changed to the archangel form, to which Leo shrugged…"  
As they were flashing and orbing, Cole uttered an amused:  
"What?"  
  
The girls stayed silent for a while as Paige came to take a seat.   
Now used to the agitation, the baby had fallen back to sleep.   
  
Phoebe finally broke the silence.  
"Hey, either one of you sleepy?"  
  
"Not really… as a matter of fact, I don't think that I'll be able to sleep tonight…"  
  
"Me neither…" Paige added.  
  
"Why don't we make it a sort of slumber party then… Give us a chance to know each other better," she said, smiling at Paige.  
  
This one responded in kind, the tension almost leaving her at her sister's good mood.  
  
"Let me put the little one back to bed and then we can tell each other stories… As a matter of fact, I got one that would fit the bill just fine and it's also a little about you Paige…"  
  
Paige looked up in surprise.  
"About me?"  
  
Phoebe grinned and got up to bring the baby back upstairs without answering.  
  
Paige turned askance to Piper.  
"Hey don't ask me… I have no idea what she's talking about, but if I know Phoebe that should be interesting…Besides, it's better than biting our nails while waiting."  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
Phoebe soon returned with some snacks that she grabbed from the kitchen on her way back.  
"What would be a party without some munchies," she said before sitting on the couch and folding her legs up.  
When her sisters said nothing, she continued.  
"So…ready for some stories?"  
  
"You first, by all means," Piper answered, smiling at her sister's enthusiasm.  
  
"Yes, you got me curious there…" Paige insisted.  
  
"Here goes…"  
  
'The mansion was whitewashed and imposing. Built by their grand-father some sixty years earlier, on the ruins of an old farm… Since then, he had used his considerable fortune to buy some of the surrounding land and start a very prosperous plantation. Their father inherited the whole thing and was now administrating the family holdings. However, the war had them all anxious as to what the future held…  
Piper and Paige were lounging on their patio, which was located on their perfectly manicured lawn. The place looked so peaceful that for a moment, Piper imagined that nothing would ever come to destroy their tranquil lives. It didn't last though as she heard yet again the sound of canons in the distance. It made her shiver, as the war seemed to be coming closer every day. She prayed non-stop for the war to pass them by, even if she knew that many other plantations had already been victims of it.  
  
It had been the first time today, but she knew from experience that it would not be the last. Paige was looking toward the horizon as well, and Piper could tell that the same somber thoughts occupied her mind.  
"Sister," Piper called softly to Paige.  
  
Paige turned reluctantly toward her.  
"I know… But I can't help being afraid…"  
Piper was about to try reassuring her younger sister, when their attention was caught by another sound, this one much closer.   
  
A horse carriage was coming up the road, and they recognized it immediately. Piper showed signs of irritation.  
"Why does he persist coming here? Father will never agree to sell the plantation to his client…"  
  
"Maybe he should…"  
  
"Paige," Piper exclaimed.  
  
"Piper, you know that they're coming…If we could cut our losses maybe it would be the best solution."  
  
"Father will never see it that way. He's never going to sell his father's land. And certainly not to some investor from the north…"  
  
The carriage was already coming to a stop and one of the oldest slaves, Samuel, opened the door for the visitor.  
  
On a lighter note, Paige added.  
"You know, I think that there might be another reason for his frequent visits…"  
  
"You mean Cousin Phoebe?" Piper replied irritably.  
"He may have his views on her, but he has no chance in hell…"  
  
Paige didn't let her cousin bad dispositions get to her as they were watching the lawyer coming out of the carriage.  
"I've seen the way she looked at him the first time…"  
  
"She's changed her mind since. His ideas are all contrary to her ideals, and even if I disagree with some of it, I still respect the way she holds on to her principles. She would never go out with a man who has no other interest but his own…"  
  
Even as she observed Paige, Piper saw a sudden change in her attitude. Paige was smiling brightly and even before Piper looked back toward the carriage she knew why.   
  
Indeed two other men, identical twins, were coming out of the conveyance. The only things those two had in commons besides their striking resemblance, was the fact that they both worked as clerks for Cole and they both were very much interested in Paige… For Piper, their line of work would have been enough to disqualify them as gentlemen. On the other hand, her sister didn't have any qualm with lawyers or men from the north for that matter. Although this bothered Piper some, what really worried her, was the attitude that she had with the both of them. Paige didn't seem to be able to make up her mind on one. This had been the subject of more than one discussion between the two sisters on the long evenings since Leo had gone to the war. Thinking of her husband made it all come back to her, and for a moment she even forgot about the visitors and Paige's problem. She longed for his return and for everything to be back to normal. "Will that ever happen?" She wondered…  
  
The lawyer brought her back to reality abruptly with his greetings.  
"Good day, ladies. Isn't it a beautiful day indeed?"  
  
Piper pinched her lips while answering.  
"Yes, a beautiful day," she said flatly.  
  
Cole noticed the disdain in her attitude, but he chose to ignore it.  
"Is your father around? I really would like to have another talk with him…"  
  
"He'll never sell the plantation. And certainly not to you or your clients," she spat.  
  
This time, in spite of his resolve, the lawyer flinched at the obvious insult. However he quickly got back his cool, as he replied calmly.  
"I prefer discussing this directly with your father if you don't mind."   
  
Piper watched him for a long moment, challenging him. However, when she saw that he wouldn't be provoked, she turned to Samuel, who had followed silently.  
"Samuel, would you please accompany this…gentleman inside the house and announce him?"  
  
The black man nodded in acquiescence and turned immediately toward the house.  
The lawyer seemed to hesitate a moment, and then he asked:  
"Is your delightful Cousin home as well?"  
  
"I don't think that she'll be very thrilled to see you…"  
  
"This is my concern," Cole replied finally letting some of his irritation showing through.  
Then, he simply turned around and followed Samuel.  
  
Meanwhile, Paige had been totally oblivious to the conversation, as she grinned toward the two men who had followed the lawyer, but stayed at a distance. Piper noticed how the both of them were staring at her in a less than gentlemanly fashion, which didn't surprise her in the least.   
  
The two men were whispering to each other at the same time as gazing toward Paige with big grins. She surmised that they must be debating on which one of them she was truly interested in. Reluctantly, the two men waved goodbye to Paige before following the lawyer inside. Piper turned to her sister with renewed worry and irritation.  
"Paige, I can't believe you!"  
  
Her sister turned to her, puzzled.  
"What?"  
  
"You know what I'm talking about. Those two boys are equally interested in you and you're playing a dangerous game with them…"  
  
Paige sighed.  
"Piper… I told you, I can't decide. They're both so gorgeous and interesting..."  
  
"They are both going to be lawyers, not gentlemen…"  
  
Paige exclaimed irritably.  
"Piper!"  
  
However, Piper lifted a hand to stop her protestations.  
"If it was only this, maybe I could understand. However, the game that you're playing can only end in serious trouble for them and you…"  
  
Paige looked away from her sister and shrugged Piper's concerns away. Or at least that is how it appeared to Piper. Inside Paige was not as confident as she was letting out. She knew how dangerous it was to play with men's feelings but she couldn't help it. Both of them were so different and yet so attractive in their own ways. Matthew was as sweet as pie, calm and always helpful. Even with the competition that they were having over her, he never raised his voice or started a fight. This was not to say he didn't react when his brother tried to goad him into one. Nicholas was so different. Passionate and she knew, dangerous… Until they had met Paige, they got along fine. In some ways, they completed each other perfectly. Nicholas was the protector, even if sometimes a little too enthusiastic about it, while Matthew was the voice of reason, who kept his brother in line.   
Ever since they met Paige however, things had gone from bad to worse, with their bond as brothers breaking apart slowly but surely. This, in time would have disastrous results…  
  
*************  
Paige interrupted Phoebe with an exclamation of surprise.  
"Matthew? You included my boyfriend in your story?"  
  
Phoebe took a moment to collect her thoughts as she had been concentrating on remembering the dream.  
"Actually, those are not just stories… They're premonitions that came to me in a dream…"  
  
Even Piper was surprised by this.  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well I'm not sure, but I think that my power has grown somehow and now I can see our previous lives; at least in dreams."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"But why do we have the same names?"  
  
"Oh that, well I was just using our names for clarity. Obviously, those people had different names and appearances. But in the dreams, we appear exactly the same as we are now. I heard once that it has to do with us recognizing each other's souls…"  
  
"Oh! Well sorry for the interruption, but still, you mean that Matthew was in my past as well?"  
  
"At least I think he was, because of the description you gave me… By the way, I heard him in here tonight. When are we going to meet him officially?"  
  
Paige seemed a little embarrassed but she still said:  
"Soon I hope. The occasion didn't present itself just yet but I will see to it that you meet him soon. I hope that we didn't disturb you last night by the way?"  
  
Phoebe smiled.  
"Not at all," she lied. She wasn't about to make her sister more uncomfortable than she already was.  
  
In the apartment, the two brothers were facing each other down.  
Nicholas started:  
"It's been a long time brother…What was it, one hundred years?"  
  
"No matter, it wasn't long enough."  
Matthew was now worried sick not for himself, but for Paige… 


	7. Love Connections(7)

Love Connections  
Chapter 7  
  
  
"If you're going to kill me, you might as well do it now…"  
  
Nicholas watched his brother curiously, wondering where the bravado was coming from.  
"You didn't use to be so eager to die…"  
  
"Frankly, just looking at you is enough to make me sick."  
  
"And there I was hoping for some kind of family reunion. Oh well, I guess that there's still some bad blood between us. One would think that 140 years would be enough to forgive and forget…"  
  
"You made your choice, and you have to live with it…"  
  
"Wouldn't it be more exact to say that you chose for me?"  
Matthew wasn't in the mood for this discussion. He was still thinking about Paige and he hoped to god that Nicholas didn't know about her… "He couldn't know about her really," he tried to reassure himself. "We didn't even know until recently."   
"Why are you here?" He asked aloud.  
  
"Actually brother, I need you…"  
  
Before Matthew could understand what was happening, his brother threw some kind of powder in his face and everything went dark.  
  
Coleridge greeted his son and Leo, even though he was a little surprise to see them.  
"Hey, what brings you here?"  
  
"I think the darklighter's back," Leo simply answered.  
  
"The one that…"  
  
"That's it… Or at least, Leo assumes that's him. He's got no actual proof of it…"  
  
Leo turned to Cole with a frown.  
"I thought that you could understand better than anyone else that sometimes you have to trust your instincts."  
Cole sighed.  
Coleridge on the other hand, was really interested by this news.  
"What makes you think he's back?"  
  
Leo turned to him.  
"I can't really be sure, but I'm convinced that this is connected…"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Tonight I woke up with the definite sensation that a darklighter was lurking around the house. It was fleeting, as if he stayed only a moment. At first, I simply dismissed it, but I can't shake the feeling that we're in for some trouble…"  
  
"I'm afraid that you might be right about this…"  
  
Cole seemed suddenly more interested as his father described the troubling events of the evening.  
"Ok, now I must admit that it's slightly more than a coincidence… You say that they don't usually give chase like this?"  
  
"No, not usually. It's true that some of them hate us more than others, but even then they don't go out of their way to track us…" Then he added pensively:  
"Of course, there are exceptions to every rule…"  
  
"What did the Elders think of this?"  
  
"Actually, their advice was to simply stay out of range for a while…"  
  
"A sound advice to me…" Cole interjected.  
  
"However, they weren't aware of Leo's news…"  
  
"The two situations are completely different. The darklighter Leo felt went away immediately and he didn't come back," Cole added, turning questioningly toward Leo.  
  
"It's true that I haven't felt him afterward, but I might've an explanation for that."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"You!"  
  
Cole frowned.  
"You think that he's staying away because of me? How could I have been a threat to him? I didn't even know he was there…"  
His voice trailed off as he remembered the chill he had experienced earlier.  
  
"What?" Coleridge questioned, noticing his son's hesitation.  
  
"It's nothing, I was just wondering…"  
  
"For whatever reason, he gave up at that time. But if he pursued Coleridge, I think he will again if we give him the chance…"  
  
Cole turned to him suspiciously.  
"Then the solution would be to stay away, like the Elders recommended…"  
  
"On the contrary, I don't wanna have to watch my back all the time, and I'm sure that neither does your father."  
  
Coleridge nodded his approval and Cole guessed what came next.  
"You're thinking of setting a trap, aren't you? Well stop now; it's way too risky…"  
  
"We wouldn't be going into this eyes closed… And besides, you'd be there to watch our backs…"  
  
"Maybe, but as you said, if he can feel me, it's not likely he'll show up…"  
  
Leo insisted:  
"Isn't it possible for you to observe from a different reality?"  
  
"I guess so…" Cole replied hesitantly.  
  
"Well that's a plan then, let's go…"  
Cole stared at his father in surprise.  
"Hey, one of you is more than enough as bait."  
  
"Maybe, but if he has more than one target to worry about, you may have a better chance to get to him before he takes us out…"  
  
"No pressure here…" Cole replied sarcastically.  
  
"One more thing…"  
  
"Why do I have the feeling I won't like that one either?"  
  
"I think," Leo continued, ignoring the sarcasm, "that we should try questioning him, not vanquishing…"  
  
Cole replied mockingly.  
"That should be fun…"  
  
Leo looked at him with irritation, but didn't comment.  
"We might as well start now," he said instead.  
He then orbed without wait, and the other two followed his lead…  
  
Nicholas was leaning toward his unconscious brother, talking in a in low but steady voice to his brother, the sound of it almost hypnotic.  
"You will go to Paige and bring her back here, to me. It's time…" This, he repeated many times, until he was convinced that the suggestive state he had induced was working.  
After a moment, Nicholas stepped away from Matthew and thought to himself:  
"I waited long enough, Paige. It's time we got reacquainted…"  
  
Back at the house, the girls were settling down for the story, although Paige still had a few questions.  
"Hey, they were twins? How do you know which one is which?"  
  
"Well, I'm not really sure, but I think I got them apart. The name Nicholas came to me in the dream as well, although I have no idea if it was his name then or if he exists right now as a Nicholas somewhere…"  
  
"The Matthew that you describe is very much like the one that I know, so it must mean that you're right… Come on, you've got to continue. I really wanna know what happened…"  
  
"I have to warn you, it's not all wonderful…"  
  
"It's ok, it's in the past. I'm sure that it won't have anything to do with the present. How could it?"  
  
Phoebe just smiled and continued the story:  
***************  
'Paige got up and went toward the mansion without adding another word while Piper watched her, worrying about her and what was to come…  
  
Cole had followed the slave inside, and only then did he notice that his law clerks had come in as well. He turned toward them at this point:  
"I really don't think that we should all be talking to him. I'll do this alone. Just wait for me outside if you please…"  
  
The twins didn't protest and simply turned back toward the front door, happy to have some free time, which they both intended to spend with Paige.  
They saw her coming in then, and Nicholas pushed his brother aside in order to reach her first. Matthew stopped and gave a very annoyed look at his brother. Sometimes he wondered how this would end… And no matter what, he couldn't help thinking that it was not going to be pretty…  
Paige smiled happily at Nicholas' enthusiasm. Nevertheless, even as he was taking her hand and kissing it, she turned and smiled at his brother just as happily.   
  
Nicholas tried his best to dissimulate his resentment, but he was convinced that she must have seen the jealousy that he couldn't help showing. He didn't like the idea that he and his brother were at odds because of her, but no matter how much he tried to resist it, he was so attracted to her that no reasoning would help. He was also aware that his brother had very similar feelings…  
The two men each took one of her arms and had to refrain from actually trying to pull her to themselves. Paige couldn't help being amused by this display of rivalry. Forgotten altogether was her sister's warning, as she set out to have a good time with the both of them.   
  
Cole had spent the best part of an hour trying, yet again, to convince Victor Leighton of selling his plantations, with just as little success as before.  
He was walking down the hallway, very annoyed indeed, when he caught sight of Phoebe in the library. From then on, he forgot all about the stubborn master of the house, and only had eyes for her. She was unaware of his presence and reading quietly. He saw her look at the window a few times in response to the battle sounds. He wanted so much to go to her, but he knew that it would only bring one more confrontation. A few weeks earlier, when he had arrived, she had seemed very friendly. He had sensed that something passed between them, something special. Yet, after learning of his purpose, her attitude had changed drastically. She was a world of contradictions, like only the young can be, he thought… On the one hand, she resented him for what he was doing. She thought that no one from the north should live here, and that indeed they would somehow soil the tradition of her ancestors. On the other hand, she was an ardent defender of the slaves' right to freedom. What's more, he was convinced that if her situation had been different, she probably wouldn't even be living in this house. She had been staying on this plantation for a year, and only after her mother was killed in one of the numerous battles already fought over this debate. Their home had been destroyed in the same battle, and her father had left her to join the army, even though he didn't have to. His wife's death and the loss of his home had left him bitter and sad. Unfortunately, he had fallen during his first encounter with the enemy, and Phoebe found herself completely alone afterward. Her cousins had given her shelter and love, and only now was she beginning to get over her grief. However, no matter how grateful she was for their help, she still argued frequently with Piper and her father over their use of slaves for the plantation. Cole had been present to one of those animated discussions, and wondered why they had not sent her away by now… Still, he had admired the fire in her. "Maybe," he thought again to himself, "this is what I find so darn attractive about her? Who knows?" He smiled derisively to himself as he realized that no matter what the reason was, he still was falling hard for her. She had occupied his every thought from the moment he saw her, and now he was trying to find a way to change her mind about him.  
  
One more explosion had Phoebe looking up from the book, and in that instant, she seemed so afraid that Cole wanted nothing else but run to her and tell her he would always protect her. He had to fight this urge, knowing full well that she wasn't ready to accept him. She suddenly looked his way and he knew then that his contemplation was over.  
"How long have you been here?" She asked with undisguised anger.  
  
"Long enough to see how worried you are…"  
  
Phoebe got up.  
"This is none of your business and besides, I thought I told you not to come back here again…"  
  
"Hardly enough Phoebe, you're not the only reason for my presence here, as you well know."  
  
"All the more reason, as my uncle is just as tired of your insistence as I am…"  
  
Cole smiled and it stirred something inside Phoebe in spite of her resolve.  
"I'm not giving up on you Phoebe…"  
  
"Don't Phoebe me," she said a little too loud. "It's Miss Leighton to you, mister."  
  
"If you insist," Cole replied, still smiling in the same charming manner.  
  
Phoebe felt in that instant that she had to get out of the room before she lost it. She tried to go past him, but he put a light hand on her arm. It was enough for her knees to buckle and she just looked away from him, stopping nevertheless.  
"But," he continued then, "you'll change your mind about me."  
  
She tried to keep her voice steady as she answered, still looking away.  
"Not a chance sir. Please stay away from me."  
  
"I am not keeping you here," he said, but his hand was still on her arm and she begged to differ. She could feel his stare on her and it paralyzed her. She then did the only thing that she could think of. One of the bookshelves was unsteady, and a single push of her mind had it fall with a deafening noise. This sufficed to distract him long enough that he let go of her and she ran out of the room. Cole jumped at the loud noise, wondering if the war wasn't at their doors all of a sudden, only to realize what had really happened. Then, when he turned and saw that she had left, he looked many times from the door to the fallen bookshelf in puzzlement…  
  
Meanwhile, Phoebe didn't go very far before bumping in her long time friend Clay…  
"Hey," he said, "where are you running to? I thought we were supposed to meet in the library?"  
  
Phoebe looked up, still out of breath, and he thought that she looked afraid… Or was it something else?  
"Let's go," she said, suddenly taking his arm and pulling him toward the front door.  
  
"Where," Clay asked, a little confused.  
  
"I just need some air, come on," Phoebe said decisively. He opted to wait until she stopped before asking what the matter was, and simply followed her…  
  
Phoebe couldn't help looking back and wondering if the lawyer would follow, but he didn't. She got angry with herself when she realized that it disappointed her…   
  
Nicholas and Matthew were trying to get Paige's full attention, talking fast and cutting each other off. In spite of the pleasure that their enthusiasm gave her, she was starting to get tired of the incessant chatter. They were close to the river now, and she simply pulled her arms out of their grasps and walked toward it. She had time to sit on her favorite flat rock before they came back from their surprise and turned to follow her. This had at least the effect of quieting them down for a moment, for which she was grateful. She reinforced this by saying.  
"Look how peaceful this place is. It's my favorite spot to come and just admire the view…"  
  
The two men must have understood what she wanted for they simply sat beside her. She could still feel the tense atmosphere, but at least now they were keeping silent. It lasted only a few minutes however, and Nicholas suddenly turned to her with a suggestion:  
"Hey, I've seen some berries not far from here. Would you like me to pick some for you?"  
  
Paige smiled.  
"Why not? We'll be waiting…"  
  
She was surprised that he would leave her alone with Matthew, but he must have known his brother better than she for as soon as Nicholas left, this one offered to pick some flowers for her. She presumed that he simply didn't want to be outdone by his brother as he went on his way.  
The real motivation for Nicholas' suggestion became very clear only a minute later when he came back empty handed.  
She smiled inwardly; utterly amused by his scheming, even as she watched him curiously, pretending not to understand how he could be back so soon.  
  
"I'm sorry," Nicholas said then, "I was mistaken. There were no berries there…"  
He probably knew that he had not fooled her, but the result had been the same. Now he had her all to himself, if only for a little while.  
  
At first, he said nothing, just respecting her contemplation. Then he decided to take advantage of this rare occasion:  
"I'm so glad that we got this time to talk. There is so much I want to say to you…"  
  
Paige gazed at him uncertainly now that things might become serious.  
  
"I hope that you know how I feel about you?" Nicholas asked, almost pleadingly.  
  
"I think I know," she replied, trying not to encourage him too much. She still wasn't certain which one she liked best.  
  
However, Nicholas didn't need all that much encouragement and those simple words were enough to convince him she was ready for him.  
He leaned closer to her, and her heart raced. She wasn't certain if it was because of anticipation or fear however.  
"I am falling in love with you, Paige. Desperately… I need you…"  
  
Paige simply stared at him as he came closer. She swallowed hard, now certain that the feeling inside was more one of fear. For some reason, until that moment she had known that he was dangerous, but she never quite realized that he could be a danger to her. She uttered, in a little pleading voice.  
"Please…"  
  
He must have mistaken her plea for an invitation, because he took her in his arms right then, and kissed her hard. Paige had never been kissed in that manner. She had always thought that her first kiss would be sweet and full of love. However, all she felt at this moment was an intense desire to get away. She tried to push him but he was too strong and he tightened his hold on her, forcing her lips opened.  
  
She struggled in his arms and it only seemed to encourage him as, still holding her tight with one arm, his other hand started toward her breasts. She wanted to scream then, but could only moan as he was still kissing her intently. She prayed silently that his brother be on his way back…  
  
Phoebe finally stopped near the stables, still breathing too fast. She felt stupid to have risked exposure simply to escape her own weakness.   
Clay was staring at her curiously, and she knew that he would want an explanation. He knew her too well to just accept the meager excuse she had given to him…  
He waited a moment longer, wondering if she would speak on her own, but when she said nothing after a while he questioned her.  
"You can't tell me that we have come all this way just because you wanted some air? I can see that something's troubling you…"  
  
Phoebe shrugged impatiently. She didn't want to talk about Cole. At the moment, she was trying very hard not to think about the lawyer altogether but it was no use.  
  
Clay insisted.  
"Come on Phoebe, you know that you can tell me anything. We've known each other long enough…"  
  
Phoebe smiled weakly at her long time friend, but still said nothing. Instead she started walking toward the paddock, stopping only at the fence where she leaned over and seemed to be observing the horses intently.  
Clay was now convinced that something was terribly wrong, and he also guessed at what it might be with a little pinch of jealousy.  
For a long time now, he had wanted to be much more than a friend to her. Until a few weeks ago, he had dared hoping that she felt the same. However, ever since the lawyer had arrived, she had changed. Clay knew that no matter how much Phoebe denied it, Cole had had a big effect on her.  
Clay went to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders affectionately. She seemed startled for a short instant, and then she settled down.  
  
"Is it him," Clay asked hesitantly.  
  
Phoebe couldn't look at him.  
"It's nothing, don't worry."  
  
"I can see how he troubles you…"  
  
Phoebe suddenly turned to him and the fire was back in her eyes.  
"I don't want anything to do with that man. He's everything I despise. He acts only for his own betterment, and doesn't care about anything else. He even told us that, unlike others from the north, he thought that slavery was necessary to maintain prosperity. The nerve of him…" Her rightful anger didn't fool Clay however.  
  
He could see that her protests were more to convince herself than him. Still, he couldn't bring himself to tell her that. He had hopes that she would forget about the lawyer and come back to him. And of course, the more she disapproved of Cole, the more chances he had that this would happen. He would be patient, Clay told himself. He had waited a long time already, but she was worth it.  
  
************************  
"Who is this Clay?" Cole asked with a hint of suspicion.  
  
Phoebe turned to him in surprise, as she hadn't noticed they had returned. His father was now with them.  
She smiled teasingly.  
"Nobody important… So did you find out anything," she asked of all of them.  
  
Cole answered for them, still looking curiously at his wife.  
"Nothing for the moment, but we're going to try something. Meanwhile, we just wanted to make sure that everything was fine here."  
  
"We are just fine. What are you gonna try?" She asked while getting up and going to her husband.  
  
"Just to see if my suspicions are correct, that's all. Nothing to worry about…"  
  
Piper didn't like his vague explanation.  
"Why can't you tell me what you intend to do?"  
  
"We're just gonna investigate, nothing more. We only came to make sure that nothing had happened during our absence," he said looking toward Cole intently…  
  
"Yes," this one continued, "that's all…"  
  
Phoebe went to him with a skeptical expression.  
"Hum, somehow I've got the feeling there's something you're not telling us…"  
  
"We've got nothing to hide," Cole replied with a little smile. Then he asked again, in a lower voice:  
"Who's Clay? You haven't answered my question…"  
  
Phoebe teased him.  
"I'll tell you after you told me what you're hiding…"  
  
"I'm not hiding anything…"  
  
Then he simply kissed her lightly, seemingly in a hurry all of a sudden:  
"Ok we better go now; we'll be back soon," he assured Phoebe. Then he turned to Leo, who simply nodded his approval and kissed Piper as well before orbing, soon followed by the others…  
  
Phoebe turned to her sister in puzzlement.  
"What was that about?"  
  
Piper shrugged.  
"I have no idea but I don't like it. Do you think they might be thinking of doing something stupid?"  
  
Phoebe frowned, lost in thoughts.  
"Oh well," she finally said, "I suppose that we should trust them."  
  
"I suppose…" Piper answered hesitantly.  
  
Phoebe shook herself and went back to the couch.  
"So do you wanna know the rest?" She asked, as if nothing had happened.  
  
"Are you sure you feel like continuing?"  
  
"Why not, better this than worrying, most probably for nothing."  
  
"I guess you're right." Then she smiled.  
"And I really wanna know what happens next…"  
  
Paige added:  
"So do I."  
  
"Well then…"  
  
Matthew woke up with a start. It was still dark outside and he felt really disoriented. He didn't remember going to sleep. He looked around in puzzlement and then a thought struck him. He didn't know why but right now, all he wanted was to get Paige back here. He tried to fight this urge as it went against his resolve for prudence, but the urge only grew. After a while, he couldn't resist it anymore. He took the keys to the rental and went out of the apartment. He could've orbed there, but he was not ready to tell Paige about himself. He felt terrible about all the lies, but he knew that it was better this way.   
  
The Elders were a little upset at Coleridge' sudden departure. He had gone against their advice and they were worried about him and the others. What's more, another whitelighter had failed to report for many hours now. Matthew had been sent down at first as a backup to Coleridge after Leo had been demoted. However, even after Leo had gotten his powers back, Matthew had insisted on keeping an eye on them. The Elders had thought this a good idea, considering the danger that could befall the Charmed Ones at anytime. But now, they were worried, mostly because they wondered if he had not become the victim of the same strange acting darklighter which had pursued Coleridge… 


	8. Love Connections(8)

Love connections  
Chapter 8  
  
"I don't believe you," Leo said looking at Cole with annoyance…  
"You almost blew the whistle!"  
  
Cole wasn't going to be provoked so easily, but he still felt like answering that.  
"I wouldn't call what you said the most discreet either…"  
  
"At least I have an excuse; I was never a good liar. You, on the other hand…"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Whatever you wanna make it…"  
  
Coleridge felt that he must intervene.  
"Hey boys!" And then, when they didn't pay him any attention as they glared at each other, he called louder.  
"Hey I thought we were chasing the bad guys, not fighting each other…"  
  
Cole and Leo turned to him with sheepish looks. He thought that he had gotten through to them, until Leo felt that he needed to add something.  
"Oh and by the way, I know who this Clay is…"  
  
Cole glared anew and Coleridge turned away from them, tempted to throw his arms up in the air…   
"Children," he mumbled to himself, "I'm working with children…"  
  
At first, Cole didn't ask anything. Leo still knew from the look of him that he had hit a nerve and smiled wickedly as he prepared to orb. However, just as he was about to, Cole asked, "So, who is he?" as he was unable to contain himself, even if he was aware he'd given his brother in law ammunitions against him.  
  
Leo observed him for a moment, and then smiled anew, but said nothing. Then he orbed out, and Cole shrugged in annoyance.  
  
Coleridge looked back at him as well, now curious.  
"You'll have to explain to me what the big deal is… I thought it was only a story…"  
  
Cole just glared at him for a second and flashed out…  
Coleridge sighed.  
"Children, I tell you." Then he orbed as well.  
  
Before Phoebe could start the story, Piper questioned.  
"Hey, you didn't tell him about Clay?"  
  
"Why would I have told him? It was so long ago…"  
  
"Not so long if I remember well," she replied with a wicked smile.  
"I got the feeling that you will hear about this again…"  
  
Phoebe winked.  
"A little uncertainty never hurt anyone. Besides, he knows there's no one else now."  
  
"I'm sure…"  
  
Phoebe shrugged, half amused, half annoyed with her sister.  
"So do you want to know what happened next or not?"  
  
Piper smiled .  
"Yes, go ahead…"  
  
"Already! Ok where was I? Oh yes, Clay…" She glared at her sister who just tried to look as innocent as she could…  
  
**************  
  
"Phoebe?"  
She seemed lost in thoughts again. He continued, hoping to get her out of it.  
"Would you like to ride? I'm sure that it would do you good. After all, you said that you needed some air…"  
  
Phoebe suddenly smiled at her friend. She realized that he was trying his best to comfort her and she was grateful. Besides, she thought that the exercise would be good therapy.  
"That would be lovely…" she finally answered. Clay brightened immediately; just happy to be with her.  
  
As they were walking back toward the stables, Phoebe wondered why she couldn't feel about him the same way she felt about the lawyer. Then she chastised herself for even comparing them and promised herself to put Cole out of her mind, or at least to try…  
  
Cole had finally decided that it was best to leave for the day. He had found out something very interesting about Phoebe, but now he thought that he should seriously ponder how he could use this. He didn't want to put her in a bad situation; he only wanted her to listen to him. Outside, he was told that his clerks had left and not returned for over an hour. Annoyed, he took the direction that Samuel indicated, and went to fetch them himself…  
  
Paige never thought that she could be so afraid and humiliated at the same time. Her struggles had been to no avail, as Nicholas was opening her blouse and pushing her down on the cold rock. When she thought that nothing would stop this ordeal, she heard the angry scream coming from somewhere behind her. Matthew had returned early…  
He had been looking for the most beautiful flowers that he could find, for none others would have done for Paige, when a thought had suddenly hit him. In his haste to do something for her as well, he realized that he must have underestimated his brother's trickery.   
  
From the moment he believed he had figured his brother out, he gave up on the flowers and returned toward them. What he found when he got there had him gasping in anger and frustration.  
  
At first, Matthew almost believed that Paige was consenting to his brother's advances and turned back, totally discouraged. However, he saw her struggling and rightful anger took over.  
"Nicholas!" He screamed furiously.  
  
His brother finally relaxed his hold on Paige. Without wait, Paige pushed him away as hard as she could, while barely managing to pull herself from under him and she ran away, not even looking at Matthew. She was trying to hold her undone blouse against herself, even as she felt that her dignity had been stripped away from her. Nicholas almost went after her, but Matthew stepped in front of him with fire in his eyes.  
"I believed you when you said that the other girl had accused you wrongly…Now I know that my trust was misplaced."  
  
Nicholas was not about to admit to anything however.  
"She wanted it, you just startled her. Leave way…"  
  
Matthew now looked at his brother with an incredulous expression.  
"How could you say that? I saw her struggling in fear, and you forcing yourself on her. You pretend that you love her and yet you were about to hurt her in the most horrible way."  
  
Nicholas simply glared at his brother, and Matthew understood only then the depth of selfishness that his brother could reach. Only a year earlier, he had to defend him in a very embarrassing situation, where a girl had accused him of the very same indiscretion. All this time, his brother had denied the fact, saying that she simply accused him to protect herself from her family's judgement. Matthew had chosen to believe his brother for he couldn't imagine that his own flesh and blood could be this vile.  
  
Only now did Matthew understand the magnitude of his mistake. Nicholas suddenly seemed to notice the horrified expression on his brother's face, and his own attitude changed:  
"You can't believe that I would force myself on a woman, can you? She just… She just changed her mind that's all. I swear that she wanted it as much as I did…"  
  
Matthew kept silent, a dejected look spreading on his face. He gave one last disbelieving look at his brother than turned away from him.  
  
Nicholas called to him.  
"What are you gonna do?"   
Matthew hesitated, but continued on his way.  
  
Nicholas panicked and ran to him, insisting.  
"What are you gonna do brother?"  
  
Matthew finally deigned looking at him.  
"For the lady's sake more than yours, I will keep quiet. If she so chooses, she might still bring up charges against you. If this happened, I will support her claim however."  
  
"You can't do that, we're brothers…"  
  
"I don't have a brother anymore. I never want anything to do with you ever again."  
  
Nicholas' temper flared.  
"You won't do this to me, I won't let you," he said as he grabbed his brother's arm.   
  
Matthew tried to shake him off, but Nicholas held on.   
Matthew, who had been containing his anger until this moment, finally lifted his fist and hit his brother square in the jaw. Nicholas didn't let go of him however and a violent fight ensued as they both fell to the ground …  
  
Cole saw Paige running toward him, and at first he thought that some rogue soldiers had attacked her and his clerks, so he went to her hastily. However, when she came closer, he noticed her unkempt state and guessed that something much more despicable had happened.  
She was about to pass him by, when he caught her arm.  
"Miss Paige, what's wrong?"  
  
She was in tears and would not look directly at him.  
Paige struggled to get away from him, and Cole was now convinced more than ever that he was right. Certain that he wouldn't get anything from her, he let her go and, filled with disgust, he followed in reverse the way she had come.  
Cole soon found the young men still fighting. One of them had a bloody lip and was apparently losing, but Cole couldn't tell them apart anyway, so he went to them, and then pulled the one on top from the other.  
  
The young man continued struggling for a moment but Cole had a firm hold on him, and he finally realized the futility of it. The other one almost used it to attack the first one but Cole again put himself between them, this time, with a gun that he had taken out of his belt.  
"Stay away! We're going to sort this mess out here and now."  
  
Nicholas, for it was who was now facing Cole and Matthew, took a step back, looking angrily from Cole to his brother, but not trying anything anymore.  
  
Cole waited, staring at both of them in turn a moment longer, disgust obvious in his expression. Then he started:  
"Who did it? Who hurt her?"  
  
Matthew seemed to crawl inside himself in shame and Cole thought that he was about to confess, when Nicholas interjected.  
"I did nothing wrong, she wanted it!"  
  
Now Cole let go of the first brother completely and then turned angrily toward Nicholas.  
This one stared back and looked for all the world as if he was wrongfully accused. This made Cole even angrier.  
"It's not enough that you've molested her, but now you insult the poor girl?"  
  
Matthew finally reacted, determined not to let his brother worm his way out of it again.  
"This won't work Nicholas, I know what I saw. I'll never believe your lies again and neither will anyone around here…"  
  
"I should just shoot you," Cole said with barely contained hatred for the monster in front of him. "I brought you here; I trusted you and you did this!"  
He then turned toward Matthew.  
"Did he…? How far did it go?"  
  
Matthew lowered his eyes but still answered.  
"I'm sure that I was in time…"  
  
Cole turned an icy stare toward Nicholas, who finally began to feel fear, although he was still not remorseful…  
"You will leave here now," Cole uttered in a glacial tone of voice. "Don't ever show your face here or to me again. Know that if the worst had happened, I would've killed you on the spot, but that won't keep me from doing it if I ever see you around here again."  
  
Nicholas was outraged.  
"You can't do this to me; I know too much about you…"  
  
Cole moved threateningly toward him.  
"If you think that you can blackmail me, you're dead wrong. Remember which side of the gun you're standing on…"  
  
Matthew couldn't help worrying about his brother.  
"Please sir, just allow him leave…"  
  
Nicholas turned angrily toward him again.  
"Don't think that I'll forget on which side you stayed…You betrayed me, your own brother…"  
  
"Go now, I don't have a brother anymore…"  
  
Nicholas stared at them for a moment and then he turned his heels, walking away from them and the mansion.  
  
Paige had run all the way toward the house and she stopped only about a hundred feet from it. She wasn't too sure that she could face the people there either. The choice was made for her however when her cousin Phoebe spotted her on her way to the riding trail…  
  
Phoebe turned her horse toward Paige right away, as even from a distance she noticed the way she looked. Her cousin barely reacted at the sound of the horses approaching and it worried Phoebe even more.  
"Paige?" She asked anxiously.  
  
Paige turned halfway toward her, but didn't answer. It was enough however for Phoebe to see her bruised lips and the still opened dress.   
"Who did this to you," Phoebe asked, now angry, "where is he?"  
  
Paige lowered her head in shame but still answered.  
"The river… They stayed behind near the river…"  
  
"They?" She exclaimed even more horrified now.   
  
Paige wanted to explain herself better, but she couldn't find her voice anymore. Instead, she started running again, oblivious to her previous concern about the inhabitants of the house. Her secret was out anyway by now. All she wanted was to take a long bath. She felt soiled to the core of her being.  
  
Phoebe watched her going with a pained expression, and then she turned to Clay, who looked just as horrified and angry as she did.  
  
They didn't need to exchange any word before they turned the horses and took the direction of the river…  
  
Matthew and Cole had started back after they were certain that Nicholas had left for good. Cole asked:  
"What do you think he will do?"  
  
Matthew hesitated only a moment.  
"I can't be sure sir, but I'm afraid that he might betray us…He's a very vengeful person. I saw him hurt people for much less…"  
  
Cole walked pensively for a while longer and then:  
"Will we be finished soon?"  
  
"Actually that's the good news sir. I'm quite sure that our last business will be completed by tomorrow night at the most. And Nicholas didn't really know about this one as I did all the arrangements myself."  
  
"Yes, I suppose that it's good news."  
  
"Then we could leave before this turns ugly…"  
  
"Leave…" Cole's voice trailed.  
  
Matthew seemed to understand.  
"I will regret leaving here as well sir…"  
  
Cole hurried ahead then, a decision taking form in his mind…  
Until now, he had been afraid to talk to her about himself. He was afraid of what she might do. However, at this point there wasn't much more that she could do to hurt his other business, and he knew that his only chance to get through to her was to tell the truth. He still worried that all her ideals were only words and not real convictions, but he had to take the chance…  
Cole thought that he was going to her, but in fact she came to him. However, things went wrong from the moment she saw him.  
Phoebe spotted the lawyer and his clerk when they were coming out of the woods and she pushed her horse. Because of the feelings that she had for him, this hurt even more when she thought that they were the ones guilty of hurting her cousin. She stopped abruptly in front of the two men, furious.  
"How could you? What was it? Frustration pushed you to hurt an innocent girl," she screamed at Cole.  
  
This one was too stunned to answer at first, and she continued.  
"I want you off our land right away, or my uncle will hunt you down like the animals that you are…"  
  
Finally finding his voice, Cole answered.  
"Now wait a minute, I didn't do anything to your cousin…"  
  
Phoebe was not going to be deterred so easily and she became even more agitated.  
"So you say that you didn't do anything but you know who was attacked…"  
  
The horse that she was riding, feeling the mounting anxiety of its rider was waving wildly from one side to the other and she had pain to contain it. Yet, she didn't realize the danger and pursued her angry speech.  
"Don't lie to me. I saw what you've done…"  
  
"Phoebe, I…" Cole stopped himself, suddenly aware of what was about to happen. Clay saw it too but was too far from her to act. Cole ran to the horse, just as this one reared off and threw Phoebe rudely toward the ground. Cole barely managed to catch Phoebe before she hit, as he fell underneath her.  
  
For a moment she lost her breath, as much because of the fall as for the fact that she was now lying down on him. Right then, she couldn't think about anything else but him, how good it felt to be in his arms.  
  
Clay broke the moment as he came to her, worried that she was hurt, but even more about the company she kept…  
  
As he was pulling her up, the reason for her presence there came back to her and she got very angry with herself again.  
Phoebe turned away from Cole, ashamed.  
He got up slowly, brushing the dirt off himself, and then he glanced toward Phoebe and Clay with a very serious expression:  
"I'm sorry about all the upset," he began, "but neither me nor Matthew here, were responsible for what happened. I already took care of sending the guilty party away."  
  
Phoebe couldn't help insisting, although barely looking at him.  
"Paige said they…"  
  
Cole didn't let this get to him.  
"I'm certain that if you talk to her when she's calmer, she'll tell you that only Nicholas tried to take advantage of her. Moreover, I can assure you that he won't try again…"  
  
Only then did she notice the poor state of the clerk.  
"Why are you hurt?" She asked him directly.  
  
Matthew seemed embarrassed but still answered.  
"I had a fight with my brother."  
  
Phoebe inquisitively asked again.  
"Are you sure that it wasn't Paige defending herself?"  
  
Matthew seemed shocked.  
"I assure you miss that I could never hurt Paige …"  
  
"Nonetheless, I want you," she said turning to Cole, "and your clerk to go as soon as possible. You brought this to our family and we can't have you around anymore…"  
  
"Please, don't put this on us…"  
  
Phoebe ignored his plea and signaled to Clay that she was ready to leave.  
  
Cole tried once more.  
"Please I've got to talk to you…"  
  
Phoebe gave him one more disdainful look before mounting the horse, now much calmer.  
"I never wanna see you again."  
  
This time, Cole feared that she had meant it.  
She allowed Clay to help her up on the horse. Cole took a step forward as if he intended to stop her, but she put the horse to a trot and rode away rapidly, soon followed by her friend.  
  
"I'm sorry sir; I'm really sorry."  
  
Cole just answered distractedly.  
"It's not your fault. And I supposed that it's just as well," he added as if trying to convince himself, "she'd probably never have accepted the truth anyway…"  
Then he added.  
"Anyway, we should prepare to leave this place for more than one reason as you well know."  
  
Matthew acquiesced sadly as he also had good reasons to be disappointed by their precipitated departure.  
  
They slowly started back toward the mansion. Once there, they simply got into their carriage and rode off as neither Matthew nor Cole believed that anyone wanted to hear from them again…  
  
Meanwhile, Paige had gotten to the house and had been greeted by an old woman, who took care of her since she was a child. Corrine, as she was called, saw Paige's distress immediately and without a word she accompanied her to her room. She didn't need Paige to tell her anything and instead offered right away to draw a bath for her. Paige smiled weakly at her, grateful for her understanding and discretion.  
  
As soon as Phoebe came home, she went straight to Piper.  
She told her of the awful news and this one ran toward her sister's room.  
"Paige," she called through the locked door, "Paige are you there?" Piper asked anxiously.  
  
Corrine answered the door instead.  
"Sorry missy, but I think your sister needs some time alone… she'll be fine; I'll take care of her."   
  
Piper agreed reluctantly and Corrine went to the kitchens to fetch the hot water.  
Piper went back to find Phoebe and they agreed that Victor should be kept out of it for the moment. They were afraid of his reaction toward Paige, and didn't want her to get any more upset than she was.  
  
That night and the next day, Paige didn't come out of her room and the house was really quiet. Victor finally asked what the matter with them was but they still didn't tell him.  
He was about to insist, knowing instinctively that they were hiding something, when a clamor coming from the courtyard caught their attention.  
  
Outside, a group of soldiers in gray uniforms was dismounting and coming toward the house.  
Puzzled and a little anxious as well, the master of the house still went to the door to greet them…  
  
The sergeant at the door didn't lose time in greetings.   
"Sorry to bother you sir, but we received a tip that a spy from the north and his accomplice might have been here…"  
  
Victor looked at them in astonishment.  
"What are you talking about? There's no one here beside my own family…"  
  
The sergeant insisted.  
"We heard from a reliable source, that a man called Cole Fairbanks and two other men have come to you recently. They pretended to be lawyers…"  
  
Victor opened big eyes at this.  
"This can't be right. They were here to buy the plantation. He has been coming here more than once a week with proposals from his clients."  
  
"Nevertheless sir, those men are under suspicions of running a slave route toward the north. We've been after them for a while already, but only now could we identify them… I must also warn you that given your relationship with these men, you're also under suspicion…"  
  
"What!"  
  
The sergeant continued, undeterred by Victor's outrage.  
"Our source told us that someone in your household has been openly protesting against slavery… That doesn't look good for you sir. What's more, I came to tell you to be prepared for an inquiry…"  
  
  
"You can't be serious; I have slaves working for me…"  
  
"Then your cooperation in this search will be greatly appreciated, and will go a long way in taking the suspicions off of your family…"  
  
Victor was now very worried. In times of war, justice was swift, and not always just, and he knew that perfectly.  
"I have no idea of where they are… all I can tell you is that they were staying in a hotel in town. But I haven't seen them since yesterday afternoon…"  
  
"We'll get back to you sir," the sergeant said before turning around and assembling his troops for departure.  
  
Victor turned to Piper and Phoebe with an even more suspicious expression now. He was not going to be given no for an answer this time.  
"What happened here?"  
  
Piper seemed very uncomfortable then, while Phoebe ignored her uncle completely, lost in thoughts of her own…  
  
Victor became angry at their silence.  
"No one will leave this room until I know what the matter in this house is? I have a sinking feeling that it has to do with those accusations…"  
  
"Father…" Piper started but stopped herself.  
  
Victor came closer.  
"Tell me!" He asked in a commanding voice.  
  
"Something happened yesterday… to Paige," Piper answered reluctantly.  
  
"Something happened to Paige and no one told me," he asked incredulously," where is she? Is she hurt?"  
  
Piper stopped him from running to her.  
"Father it's more complicated than this…"  
  
Victor began to guess at what she meant and he didn't like it at all.  
"You have to tell me what happened," he reiterated.  
  
Piper pursued hesitantly.  
"One of the clerks molested her."  
  
Victor opened big eyes at this, even though he had half expected it.  
"What?"  
  
Piper continued quickly.  
"He didn't… well you know, but she's still very shaken by it."  
  
"Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"  
  
"We didn't want you to upset her more. She doesn't even want to see us right now. Corrine's been taking care of her since…"  
  
Victor started walking back and forth mumbling to himself.  
"Of course, that's the kind of behavior one would expect from those Yankees. Savages, the whole lot of them…"  
  
Finally, he turned back toward Piper.  
"What about the other two? What did they do?"  
  
Phoebe finally intervened.  
"From what they told us before they left, one of the brothers prevented the other from…" she couldn't finish the sentence but Victor understood.  
  
"So what would it have to do with the soldiers coming here tonight?"  
  
"I can't be sure of course," Clay intervened, "but Mr. Fairbanks told us that he took care of Nicholas by sending him away… It stands to reason to think that he might have sought his revenge on them and possibly us, by making those accusations…"  
  
"So you're saying that it's all lies?"  
  
"I'm quite sure that it was only revenge. I mean can you imagine Mr. Fairbanks and his clerks as spies?"  
  
"I must admit that it's hard to envision indeed…"  
  
Clay had noticed the pensive look on Phoebe's face and knew exactly what she was thinking. Contrary to Cole, he knew that her convictions ran deep and that knowing this about him would make him look much better in her eyes.  
From the look of her however, he saw that he had put doubts in her mind. "Hopefully, whatever he is, this man will never come back here…" Clay thought to himself.  
  
******************************  
"I think I don't like that Clay…"  
  
Phoebe turned an amused stare at her sister.  
"And you don't care about Nicholas?"  
  
"Well I really don't know who he is, but your Clay seems quite the scheming guy as well…"  
  
"Cole would be happy to know that he has someone to speak for him," Phoebe laughed out loud.  
She suddenly became more serious.  
"Speaking of… I wonder what's taking them so long?"  
  
"So do I…"  
  
Cole had been watching them for the last two hours and he really was getting tired of this. Nothing had happened. They had gone to all the places that Coleridge had mentioned being followed, but with no results. He started to think that maybe the whole thing was in Leo's mind and no darklighter was after them. What's more, the reality from which he was observing them was very uncomfortable and inhospitable. He sighed heavily, still willing to give them a little more time, but not much…  
  
At first, Coleridge and Leo had been too nervous to have any kind of conversation, but now that nothing was happening, they had begun chatting leisurely.  
"It's so funny to see him squirm, even though he has no reason at all…"  
  
Coleridge refrained from smiling and said in a falsely severe tone of voice.  
"Hey, it's my son you're talking about…"  
  
Leo saw that he was saying it tongue-in-cheek, and smiled anew.  
"Clay is only a memory to Phoebe, but it does Cole good to have a little doubt. It's humbling…"  
  
"You know, if he is anything like I was, I wouldn't want to be the guy trying to come between him and his wife…"  
  
"I have to admit that it's a chilling thought…"  
  
The two men started laughing heartily.  
Suddenly, Coleridge became very serious and it took Leo only a second to understand why. The darklighter was back, and they looked around anxiously.  
  
Cole was so tired of watching them that he almost missed the signs…  
  
Jacob knew that they had felt him just like he felt them, but caution pushed him to feel further, making sure that the whitelighters were alone. Cole finally noticed their tense expressions, and he started looking around them as well, as his post gave him a better view of their surroundings. He finally found the darklighter but just as this one was about to shoot an arrow in Leo's direction. Without hesitation, Cole went back to their reality and launched at the darklighter. This one jumped in surprise, and he missed. The darklighter, realizing that they seemed more interested in capturing him than vanquishing, tried to use their plan to his advantage. Thinking that they would not try to kill him, he orbed in front of the whitelighters and prepared to fire again. This time, Cole opted for the most prudent course of action however, and he threw an energy ball at the darklighter. Jacob understood his mistake too late before he disintegrated in a ball of flame.  
  
Leo looked at the simmering remains at first with relief and then with irritation.  
"I thought we were supposed to interrogate him?"  
  
Cole as he was reaching them:  
"Hardly enough, I thought that you'd prefer to be alive…"  
  
The two men again stared at each other for a moment, and then Leo thought better of it.  
"Well at least he's gone. Hopefully that was the end of this threat…"  
Then with what seemed a great effort he said:  
"Thanks…"  
  
"Don't thank me; I had a very selfish motivation… More than one actually… If I let you die, your wife would've killed me," he said with a teasing smile, "and also, you could never have answered my question…"  
  
Leo raised his eyebrows, unsure now if Cole was serious…  
Coleridge refrained from smiling.  
"As amusing as you both are, this will have to wait… Leo and I still have to go to the elders."  
  
"Have fun…" he said before flashing home. 


	9. Love Connections(9)

Love Connections  
Chapter Nine  
  
Matthew wondered what the matter with him was. When he had left his apartment, it had been without hesitation. He knew what he wanted and that was the end of it… However, for the last two hours, he had been driving back and forth, changing his mind constantly. Every time he thought that he had made a decision, he would be pulled in another direction. More than once, he told himself that something was terribly wrong with him, yet he couldn't do anything against it. He even tried to orb up, thinking of asking advice from the Elders, even though he knew that they would disapprove of him. That was another of those decisions that he couldn't implement as another urge to go get her sent him back toward her house. At long last, he had simply stopped, determined to figure this out. Even now, sitting in the car not five minutes from her house, he still couldn't think clearly…  
  
Nicholas had been watching the apartment with growing doubts. He had been so certain that his brother would come through… yet Matthew had not been back… Things were going so well otherwise… Jacob had come to him only an hour earlier with the news that his targets were in sight again. He was expecting those two obstacles to be out of the picture any time now, which would give him a window of opportunity. Maybe even the possibility to see her without his brother's help. Given his apparent failure on that part of the plan, he really hoped that Jacob would succeed…  
  
Contrary to Jacob, he didn't worry about the archangel. The first time around, this one had not even recognized his presence. He felt that he most probably could fool him long enough. If only the whitelighters were destroyed… His patience was wearing off rapidly. He had waited so long already…   
  
  
"It's been way too long, I really think that we should try to find them…" Piper uttered with a hint of anxiety.  
  
"You might be right, but how are we going to do that?" Phoebe replied.  
  
Piper lifted her eyebrows, unsure herself…  
They were still pondering their options when Cole came back.  
  
"Hey, where the hell were you? We were getting worried here…"  
He smiled.  
"For no reason…. I even have good news… The darklighter that worried Leo is gone for good this time. We took care of it."  
  
"Oh well, that's good news then, but why aren't Leo and your father with you?"  
  
"They had to report," he said with a quick glance toward the ceiling.   
  
"I guess that it would be safe to go home now?"  
  
"I don't see why not…"  
  
Piper hesitated still.  
"On the other hand, I'm not sleepy yet," she added. "Hey Phoebe, do you think that you could finish this story? It may even give time for Leo to come back…"  
  
"Of course…"  
Kissing his wife, Cole said:  
"If you don't mind, I think that I will pass. Someone has to sleep tonight…"  
  
"Ok…"  
Then she went back to the couch, starting the story immediately.  
"As I was saying, Clay was now determined to make Phoebe forget all about Cole…"  
  
Cole interrupted:  
"On second thought, I think that I'm going to stay up a little longer," he said as he came to sit by Phoebe. This one smiled, amused, but she didn't comment and continued…  
  
***********  
'Clay was quite certain that she believed his theory by now, but he was determined to stick around and make sure that she wouldn't change her mind again. He knew her… He mostly feared that she might just go and try to help the so-called lawyer out of his predicament if she thought that the soldiers had been right.  
"You do believe me don't you, Phoebe? That's the only thing that makes sense. Those two were no spy material, believe me. You told me yourself what he thought of slavery. Were those the words of a man who'd want to free them?"  
  
"You're probably right…"  
  
For a moment, she had dared hoping that she had been wrong about Cole; that maybe he was the kind of man that she wanted in her life. But then, Clay's explanation made much more sense. After all, a vile person like this Nicholas would certainly not hesitate to lie in order to get his revenge. The coward way…  
  
Even if Phoebe was ready to accept her friend's explanation, it was painful to see her hopes burst in this manner.   
  
Clay felt bad for her, but on the other hand, he thought that it was the best way for her to put this man behind her. And of course, maybe she'd finally come back to him… When she leaned on him, he hoped that it was the sign that she was finally doing just that…  
Phoebe's musings about Cole prevented her from worrying about the most immediate threat… However, her uncle and Piper were both seeing the real danger that had just knocked on their door.  
  
Victor wished that he had known about the attack the day before, as the kid would be dead by now and none of this unpleasantness would be happening… The threat of an inquiry worried him for more reasons than one. Scrutiny might reveal his daughters and niece's true nature. This would be catastrophic. He thought that he could beat what he stood accused of easily enough. On the other hand, if the outside world found out about them, then nothing would prevent disaster to strike. Even after all those years, he was still uncomfortable with the fact that his daughters were witches and could easily imagine what other people would think. His now dead wife, Patricia, had not seen fit to tell him that she was a witch until after their second daughter was born. And she probably would have tried to keep it from him still, if it hadn't been for the fact that Piper had already started using her powers at this point. Victor had loved his wife very much, but he couldn't help resenting her for hiding what she was from him all those years. They had continued to live as husband and wife, but the truth about her always stood between them afterward. It wasn't until she died that he realized how much he had missed because of his stubbornness. He swore that he would always keep his daughters safe from the outside world from then on. And now, his younger daughter had suffered the worst of fate, and their very way of life was threatened. He was not so much worried about himself, as he was scared for his daughters…  
  
Piper's worries mirrored his own, as she watched her father still pacing nervously. After her mother's death, she also had felt responsible for her family's safety. However, Paige had been hurt and she was helpless to comfort her. And now, this new threat might very well be the end of them…  
Knowing that she couldn't do anything about the latter, she at least decided to try and do something about Paige. She got up abruptly and went to the stairs without a word. Her father barely noticed, still lost in somber thoughts.   
  
Phoebe saw her going, and decided that she needed some time alone of her own. The last two days had been very charged emotionally and being in the same room as her obviously distraught uncle didn't help her mood. She told Clay, who offered to accompany her upstairs.   
Phoebe accepted reluctantly.  
  
When they got to her room, he seemed reluctant to leave her, and she sensed that he worried about what she would do. At this point however, she had no idea herself. Doubts were still lingering in her mind… He finally took leave of her but only after taking her hand and kissing it a little too long for Phoebe's comfort. She suddenly felt the need to take it away, ill at ease with his touch. She saw that her gesture hurt him, but she couldn't bring herself to reassure him. All she wanted was to be left alone at the moment.  
  
Clay tried to put on a good face, but the thought of her going to him still worried him immensely. After she got in her room and closed the door, his expression became somber and somewhat pensive. For a few minutes, he just stood there, thinking. Then an idea struck him; one that he believed might solve his problems…  
  
He hurried downstairs and out of the house…  
Piper had to insist with Corrine to be granted access to her sister's room, and she had pain to hide her irritation at the slave. However, she knew that the old woman was only doing what she thought best for Paige and she tried to put it aside. Finally she could see her sister and her heart sunk the moment she did. The poor girl had puffy eyes and her overall attitude gave Piper the impression that she had grown beyond her years all of a sudden. Gone was the carefree attitude, only to be replaced by a very serious expression. Paige hesitated a little longer, barely looking at Piper. Then, remembering how much her sister loved her, and cared about her, she went to Piper and buried her face in her shoulder, crying anew.  
All Piper could say as she hugged her sister was:  
"Oh Paige, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you."  
  
Taking deep breaths, Paige managed to answer:  
"It's not your fault, you warned me and I didn't listen…"  
  
"I never imagined that this would happen…I don't know what to do to help you…"  
  
Paige pulled away slightly:  
"Just being here is fine. I was so afraid that you would resent me for what happened…"  
  
Piper opened wide eyes.  
"NO! He is the monster! You're not responsible for what he did…"  
  
"Wasn't I? Maybe… Maybe I encouraged him somehow…"  
  
"Paige, listen to me. Men like that don't need any encouragement. They are takers, monsters. You didn't do anything wrong…"  
  
"I just wish that I could be as certain as you are…"  
  
"You must. You're the victim…And I just wish that we could punish him as he so deserves…"  
  
Paige seemed to notice that something else bothered her sister.  
"Did something else happen?"  
  
Piper hesitated to add to Paige's burden, but she still feared for her safety. After what he had done to them, she was afraid that he might come back and try to hurt her again.  
"I'm afraid that he has not stopped at hurting you…"  
  
Paige gasped, now terrified of what her sister could mean by this, and Piper continued.  
"He has made accusations about our family and the lawyer that brought him here. He told soldiers that we were helping to free slaves…"  
  
"Oh no…Father?"  
  
"Don't worry, they didn't arrest him or anything, but they threatened to inquire in the matter shortly…"  
  
Paige felt the tears coming back.  
"It's all my fault…"  
  
"I don't want you to blame yourself," Piper answered firmly. "He's the one that should be blamed for all of it…"  
  
A heavy silence fell between them, as Paige contained her sobbing at great efforts. Then, Piper asked the question that was the most difficult for her.  
"Paige, I know that it was Nicholas that hurt you but…The other men… Did they?"  
  
"NO! Matthew helped me, and Mr. Fairbanks wasn't even there. I just met him as I was coming back home."  
  
Piper couldn't help feeling relief at this.   
"Ok sister, now I want you to stay close to us at all times. I'm afraid that he might be coming back for you…"  
  
Paige couldn't help giving fearful looks around the room, as if she expected him to show up at any moment.  
  
"Don't worry; I will never let this monster hurt you again…"  
  
"But what about the soldiers?"  
  
"Hopefully, it'll all get sorted out soon enough, and it's gonna be behind us…"  
  
Piper wished that she were as confident about this as she led her sister to believe…  
  
Clay had a kind of revelation on what he should do and right then, he was riding his horse very fast through the forest. He knew that it was a shortcut to town and that he had a very good chance to get there before the soldiers. The solution was simple enough, he thought, and hopefully would solve all his problems.   
He would warn the lawyer and his clerk about the soldiers and give them instructions to escape them, as he knew the surroundings much better than the soldiers did. Then, he would go to the soldiers and send them on their trail. This would launch them in pursuit and maybe even take their attention away from Phoebe's family. Hopefully, his collaboration would go a long way in convincing the soldiers that the Leighton had nothing to do with the lawyers and whatever they had done. He still wasn't too certain about the truth of the matter, but he knew that whatever it was, the lawyers would prefer to go rather than face the confederates' judgement. They were Yankees after all, and the war still raged… Spies were not usually given much chance to defend themselves under such circumstances. He was aware that if the lawyers were not guilty of the offenses they stood accused of, then what he was he was about to do was terrible. But his loyalties went to Phoebe and her family, not to strangers from the north, and particularly not those…  
  
Cole and Matthew had thought of leaving the hotel the night before, as they feared that Nicholas would indeed betray them. However, the mission was not completed yet, and after a few hours of anxious wait, they had finally concluded that at least Matthew's brother had not sunk to this level of ignominy. Early that morning, they had set out to accomplish the last of their tasks. One last group of slaves, all convinced by them to flee their plantation, had been hiding a little ways out of town. They were nervous and afraid when the two men arrived but they reassured them that all was going according to plan. The group set out toward the rendezvous point and they left the former slaves with instructions as to who would come for them and how to be certain of it. Then, after a long day they were returning to the hotel, still very apprehensive on what they would find there…They had been tempted to simply go with the slaves and never come back, but they still thought possible to keep their cover. There were still many that needed help, and they hoped that in time, they could do the same for them.  
  
Still, Cole didn't enter town right away, observing the comings and goings carefully before taking the risk. However, after an hour of this, he decided that no one had come for them and with sighs of relief he and Matthew directed their paces toward the hotel. There, they found a surprising visitor…  
  
Clay was certain that he had almost an hour on the soldiers when he arrived in town. He went straight to the hotel, only to learn that the lawyers had left for an errand early that morning. He was upset about it, thinking that they might've run, but he decided to wait a little longer, just in case. He convinced the clerk to let him wait in their room. This one knew Clay very well and didn't need much convincing, as he trusted him implicitly. Clay found that if the lawyers had fled, then they had not brought much with them. Their baggage was still there, although obviously ready for departure. In itself, it wasn't much of an indication given what happened the day before. They must have been convinced by now that their business with Victor Leighton would not come to a positive conclusion. Still, he wondered what other business might have kept them out all day. He surmised that maybe the Leighton's plantation had not been their only prospect. Even now, he couldn't imagine those people as spies, or even less as good men trying to free slaves. In all honesty, Clay himself didn't believe much in Phoebe's ideals. He still thought that the South's economy would go awry if they were to let go of the slaves. In that instance, he actually had agreed with the lawyer, but he would never have told this to Phoebe. Thus, in the improbable case where those two were in fact what the soldiers had said, he had one more good reason to give them away… As the evening was advancing, he began to believe that they wouldn't come back, and was about to leave, when he heard steps coming toward the room. Someone was now trying the lock and realizing that the door was already opened, they paused outside of it. Clay took a deep breath, now not so sure about his plan… After a moment, the door began opening slowly and then Cole entered cautiously, gun in hand. He exclaimed in surprise at seeing who was there. Clay thought that he also saw some relief in their expression.  
  
Still holding the gun toward Clay however, Cole questioned.  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Clay held up his hand in sign of peace, while replying.  
"I came to warn you… Soldiers are on their way as we speak to arrest you…"  
  
Cole observed him curiously.  
"And why would they?"  
  
"It appears that your brother," he said looking toward Matthew, who was standing just a little ways behind and to the side of Cole, "has accused you of being spies for the North…"  
  
"That's ridiculous," Cole said, but Clay now saw a little fear on their faces.  
  
"Nevertheless, it's the truth…"  
  
Cole became suspicious.  
"Why would you want to help us?"  
  
"You personally, I have no interest in helping. However, those accusations have the potential to put everyone in contact with you around here in trouble. I think that for Phoebe's sake and her family's, it would be better if you were long gone when the soldiers arrived."  
  
Cole couldn't help wondering if there was any truth to this. He knew perfectly well that this man had personal reasons to want him gone. He had seen the way Clay looked at Phoebe and believed that he would want nothing less than to see him disappear.  
Still very suspicious of the visitor, Cole thought that he might have a way to verify the information. He put on the most amiable face that he could under the circumstances and dropped the gun as he walked toward Clay:  
"I supposed that we should thank you for your concerns," he said calmly. Then he extended his hand to shake his, which Clay took hesitantly.  
  
'When the vision started, he knew right away that their worst fears had come true. A group of soldiers were running up the stairs, crashing down the doors and, guns at the ready, told them that they were under arrest. Matthew, out of fear, lifted his gun at this point, provoking the soldiers and then he fell under their fire, as well as Clay who got in the way. The sergeant had ordered to cease fire just as Cole was going to be shot as well, and then he got arrested.'  
  
When the vision stopped, he looked at Clay with a very different expression.  
"You're right, they are coming…"  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"You just told me didn't you?'  
  
Clay looked suspiciously at the man but nevertheless added:  
"I have two horses ready for you in the stables behind the hotel. I'll give you indications for a trail that's not well known and should keep you safe from the soldiers…"  
Cole was still very suspicious of Clay's motivations but what he had seen left him no choice but to do what the man said.  
"Alright, give us a minute and we'll follow you…"  
  
"I can only tell you where to go, I don't want to be caught with you. This wouldn't help Phoebe's family at all, nor me. I'm sure that you wouldn't want her to get into trouble?"  
  
Cole sighed.  
"Of course not… then just say your piece and be on your way, they're coming soon..."  
  
Again, Clay wondered why he had changed his mind so quickly about his claim, but he wasn't about to question his good fortune too much. His plan seemed to be working.  
While they gathered a few essentials, Clay explained the way to them, and then they left the room at the same time. It wasn't a moment too soon as the soldiers were already at the edge of town. Not bothering to pay for their last week stay, Cole and Matthew followed Clay until he indicated the stables to them and then he left in a hurry. The two men thought that they could hear a group of horses on the street in front of the hotel. They didn't lose any more time, mounting the horses and pushing them as much as they dared; they took the direction Clay had assured them would lead them to safety…  
  
Cole was almost surprised to find the trail through the woods just as Clay had described, and he pressed on, still expecting the soldiers to be following them any time now…  
  
Clay chose to wait a little longer to put the second part of his plan to work. He wanted the Yankees to put some distance between them and the soldiers. The longer the pursuit, the more chance that they wouldn't come back and bother Phoebe's family, or so he thought…  
He saw them looking around town at first, and then they headed straight for the hotel, where many of them entered with guns at the ready. It took them only a few minutes to assert that the spies had run, and they came back out in frustration.  
  
The soldiers began questioning people around about them…  
  
Clay finally thought that it had been long enough and he ran to them, seemingly out of breath…  
"Sergeant," he called to him, "I think that I saw them…"  
  
The sergeant turned toward him immediately.   
"Where?"  
  
"I tried to follow them because they looked suspicious to me but I lost them… They were running toward the forest on horses."  
  
The sergeant impatiently interrupted him:  
"Show us where…"  
  
Clay knew that he had better not procrastinate any longer and he indicated the trail to them. Soon, the whole troop was on Cole and Matthew's tracks and only then did Clay think it safe to go back toward the mansion…  
  
Phoebe had tried to go to sleep, but as exhausted as she was, a million thoughts were crossing her mind. On the one hand, she believed that her friend must be right, but she couldn't help wishing that he wasn't. Then again, she was afraid that if he were wrong, then Cole would get arrested and even killed for what he supposedly did. This, more than any other of her worries, was what kept her awake.  
  
Cole and Matthew had been pushing the horses for at least thirty minutes on the barely discernable trail. Cole constantly looked back, expecting pursuit at any moment. However, that wasn't the only thought that kept him looking back. Suddenly, he put the horse to a halt, and Matthew only realized it when he turned to look for their pursuers. Surprised, he stopped and walked the horse back toward Cole.   
"Sir, what is it?"  
  
Cole was hesitating and didn't answer right away. Then he turned to him resolutely.  
"Go ahead; I want you to run as fast as you can…"  
  
Matthew got a sinking feeling.  
"What about you, sir?"  
  
Cole looked intently at his companion.  
"I have to go back, I'll cut through the woods; don't worry…" he added rapidly as he saw Matthew about to protest.   
  
This one wouldn't be stopped.  
"You can't do that, it's too dangerous…"  
He knew exactly what Cole wanted to do and it scared him.  
  
"I have no choice," Cole replied in a firm voice, "I can't leave here just now…"  
  
"Sir this is stupid, you'll get caught…"  
  
"Maybe it's worth the risk…"  
  
Matthew gave one long last look at Cole, and then he turned his horse around as the lawyer cut through the woods as he told him he would. Matthew only went a few feet however, before he came back toward Cole and began following him.  
  
Cole heard him and turned angrily.  
"Save yourself," he almost screamed.  
  
"You may have your reasons but I also have mine. And besides, you'll need someone to watch your back. We're in this together, remember."  
  
Cole just gave him a very irritated look but didn't protest, as they both went deeper into the forest. After a while they thought they heard many horses far behind them, and they guessed that the soldiers were looking for them. However, the noise faded rapidly and they believed that the darkness had hidden their tracks.  
They continued on in the direction of the Leighton's plantation.  
  
*************************  
"Not a very nice chap this Clay of yours," Cole said trying to sound casual…  
He couldn't fool them however and Phoebe teased him.  
  
"He was doing it out of love…"  
  
"For you…huh, her…"  
  
Phoebe gave him her most innocent look.  
"Yes."  
  
Cole knew that he shouldn't have continued this, but he didn't like the look on her face when she was talking about him… For some reason, he sensed that there was more to Clay than just this story. Of that he was almost certain, and besides, Leo had put doubts in his mind earlier.  
Still trying to sound only half interested but not really succeeding, he asked:  
"So, I gather that he was just someone from the past… Like not someone that you've known in this life?"  
  
"Oh I know him. I haven't seen him in a while though, but I know him…"  
  
"Hum, hum."  
Piper and Paige almost burst out laughing, and he noticed their amused expression.  
Cole finally decided not to insist on this subject, but promised himself that he would know more about this Clay of hers…  
After a moment, he said instead:  
"Ok then, what's next?"  
  
Phoebe smiled knowingly.  
"You're not sleepy?"  
  
"Not anymore…"  
  
"All right then…" 


	10. Love Connections(10)

Love Connections  
Chapter 10  
  
Cole had been so intent on learning about Clay that he had almost missed one very peculiar part of the story. However as she was about to continue, it hit him.  
"Hey wait a minute, what was that about me and visions?"  
  
"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize that…"  
  
"You mean that I really was…"  
  
"Yup, a witch," Phoebe replied lightly, "now for a surprise…"  
  
"Hey that's true," Piper said looking curiously at them. Are you certain that you remember that story correctly?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, it wasn't the only lifetime that he was one…"  
Cole was just as astounded as Piper was:  
"Seriously?"  
  
"Scouts honor."  
  
"Well, I'll be… Anyhow, go on. I'm really interested in knowing how they got out of that mess… Or did they?" Cole asked suddenly.  
  
"Hey you wouldn't want me to spoil the story would you?"  
  
He seemed hesitant and she insisted:  
"Patience, I'll get there soon enough."  
  
"Alright but start now…" Cole said with a little smile.  
  
****************  
Piper and Paige had stayed in her room; Piper was reading for her sister in an attempt to distract the both of them. Corrine used this time to get some well-deserved rest. Paige managed to doze off here and there, but every time that Piper stopped reading, she woke up with a start. Piper was so saddened by her sister' state of mind. None of this should have happened. If only Paige's power had been a strong one. However, she could only get premonitions, and far in between at this. Too bad she didn't get one from those men, she thought. Piper was the only one on their side of the family to have inherited an active power, as she could freeze time. Phoebe and her mother, Prue, had had the same power in common, telekinesis. "If only one of us had been there," she thought again. Only now did she realize that she had stopped reading aloud, and Paige was still asleep. Unwilling to leave her however, Piper settled on the couch and prepared to spend the night with her sister.  
  
Phoebe had still not found sleep. The confusion that she felt was one reason, and the battle that had started again in the distance was another. She even thought that in a way, it was all related. Hearing the canons was hard for her because of the bad memories, but it also reminded her of Cole and this whole mess. She was tempted to close the windows, even if it would only muffle the sounds, but the night was so hot, that it would rapidly become intolerable. Suddenly, a different sound caught her attention and she was convinced that she heard a horse neighing in the courtyard. For a moment, she was tempted to go have a look but she thought that if something important were to happen, she would know soon enough.  
  
Clay had just returned. Now, all he could hope for was that this business would be behind them and hopefully, that Cole Fairbanks would soon only be a memory. He looked up toward Phoebe's window, longing to be with her. He knew that he would have to be patient. However, time was on his side…  
  
The patrol that had gone after the lawyers continued up the trail for almost twenty minutes before the tracker stopped them.  
The darkness had prevented him until now from noticing a change in the tracks, but he began to have doubts and dismounted to have a better look.  
It didn't take long before he turned toward the sergeant.  
"Sir, those tracks are much too old to be those of the fugitives. I'm afraid that they took another way; maybe they got lost…"  
  
The sergeant looked at his tracker severely, very upset to have been led astray.  
  
"I'm very sorry sir," the tracker continued.  
  
"Don't be sorry, find them!"  
  
"Yes sir."  
Then, the tracker went back the way they came, soon followed by the rest of the troops. This time, given the fact that they had trampled the trail, it was much more difficult for him to assert where they had gone off of it. He started at a much slower pace, searching each side of the trail for the telltale of their change of direction…  
  
The way through the woods was painstaking and often frustrating. Cole wondered how long it would take them before they finally found an open space, but at the same time he feared that it would make them vulnerable to patrols. He had scratches on his face from a few branches that he had not seen in time, and those were burning unpleasantly. However, at the moment, he was oblivious to all but one thing. He had to see Phoebe. He had to try. Never in his life had he felt for a woman as he felt for her and somehow, he had known that renouncing her would be like leaving a part of himself behind. The most important one… Cole had no idea how she would react, but he had to take the chance. He became distracted, probably from the fatigue, so that when his horse reared, he almost got thrown off. Soon after, he heard growling coming from the darkness and it sent a shiver down his spine. "I've got to pay attention," Cole told himself. It wouldn't do to get hurt or worse now. With a firm grip, he controlled the horse and forced it to move along. Afterward, he had to hold on tight to the horse, as the growls came and went seemingly following them in the darkness. He looked back toward Matthew and discerned that his companion was having the same difficulties and apprehensions. Finally, after a long ride, they found themselves back in a field; one that they actually recognized for the farthest reaches of the Leighton plantation. Luck was with them until now…  
  
In coming to this place the first time, their task had been twofold. There was their official explanation, which had the advantage of being the truth. Although buying the place had never been a real priority… And of course, they worked covertly at sending slaves to freedom and what they hoped would be a better life for them. Matthew had been the only one that Cole wanted on this adventure, but the young man insisted on bringing his brother along. At the time, he had assured Cole that Nicholas could be trusted. This had proven to be a very big mistake, but Cole couldn't put the blame on the boy. Matthew had loved and trusted his brother, as Cole himself would probably have if he had a brother. He knew instinctively that Matthew must have been hurting horribly from his brother's behavior and subsequent betrayal.   
  
The closer they got to the mansion, the more anxious Cole became. How would he get her to listen? He remembered clearly what Phoebe told him, but he still felt that he had to explain himself. If he were to die soon, he wanted her to remember him, not as the selfish lawyer that she believed him to be, but as the person that he truly was. Her disdain toward him had been the most painful part of this assignment. Cole could now see the house in the moonlight, and it was an impressive property. He didn't really know what he was hoping for. Would she consider running with him? It was a wild dream that had pushed him forward; a vague hope that maybe they could escape together. But as he looked upon the mansion, Cole wondered if Phoebe would even consider it, particularly when knowing everything about him. Doubts crept their way again inside of him and he stopped the horse abruptly.  
  
Phoebe had given up on sleep, and at this point, she felt that she needed to get out. As quietly as she could, she went downstairs and out of the house, breathing deeply in the night air. She thought that a stroll outside might just calm her down enough to finally allow her to find sleep. She had only taken a few steps, when she felt as if someone was observing her, and she instinctively looked toward the field.  
Cole couldn't believe it. There she was… He was certain that it must have been her. Nonetheless, here he stood, paralyzed by his own doubts and fears.   
  
Phoebe could barely distinguish the rider in the moonlight, but she knew it was Cole. She didn't know how she knew, but she was convinced of this. She hesitated only a moment, and then she started toward him…  
  
Phoebe was coming, and now Cole wasn't certain of anything anymore. He didn't want to see the rejection on her face again, for he didn't think that he could take it, given the circumstances. At this point, he almost turned the horse around, but hope still held him there.  
  
Phoebe stopped just ten feet from him, hesitating. He dismounted slowly, never taking his eyes off of her, and for a long moment, neither one said a thing. Then, Phoebe couldn't take this anymore.  
"Why are you here?"  
  
Cole hesitated some more, as he had never been so afraid in his entire life. Not afraid of dying or of the soldiers, but afraid that he might have been wrong about her feelings for him. Seeing her now, he knew that he couldn't stand it if she rejected him again. But then he thought that he saw something in her eyes, something that he had only dared hope for.   
"I came back for you…"  
She took a deep breath, still unsure about the truth. However, right now, she was willing to give him a chance.   
  
Cole took a hesitant step toward her, and then he tried to talk:  
"I…"   
  
However, Matthew's arrival distracted both of them.  
"Sir, I think that I heard something in the woods."  
  
Phoebe jumped at the sight of the young man, immediately reminded of her cousin's ordeal.  
  
Matthew could read her thoughts plainly on her face.  
"I'm Matthew, Miss Phoebe. I swear that I would never have hurt your cousin…"  
  
Phoebe tried very hard to rationalize this, but their resemblance was uncanny and made it difficult for her.  
Matthew wanted to defend himself further, but he felt that the situation was too urgent for this.  
"Sir, we must hide. The soldiers…"  
  
"You're right, of course," Cole replied sadly.  
  
Then he turned to her:  
"If you want to turn us in, I won't stop you…"  
  
Matthew gasped at this, but he knew that there was no point saying anything.  
Phoebe hesitated only an instant, and then she said:  
"Come with me, I'll hide you…"  
  
She indicated the stables and he took the reins of his horse, following her while Matthew did as well. This one couldn't believe that she was helping them; yet he was not going to protest at this point.  
  
Once there, they took the saddles off the horses and sent them with the others in the paddock. Then she indicated that they should come with her.  
  
Inside the stables, they saw her starting up a small ladder and followed.  
They found themselves walking knee high in straw. Matthew spotted a small window and immediately went to take an observation post, leaving Phoebe and Cole alone.  
An awkward silence prolonged between them, and he thought that she looked ready to bolt. But then, Phoebe turned to him.  
"You had something to tell me," she said in a little voice.  
  
"A lot actually, but I'm not sure how you will take it…"  
  
"Is that true? What the soldiers said about you?"  
  
"What did they say?"  
  
"That you were helping slaves to escape and that you were a spy for the north…"  
  
"Well, it's partly true…Matthew and I have been helping slaves yes. Does that shock you?" Cole asked, fearful of her reaction.  
  
"A little, I must admit…"  
Phoebe saw the disappointment on his face and she continued quickly.  
"But I'm not angry…I… I was just surprised how wrong I was about you…"  
  
"I…what…" Again, he found himself speechless and this time she had an amused smile on her face.  
  
"You know, I thought that lawyers were more eloquent… Are you really a lawyer?" Phoebe asked, suddenly wondering.  
  
Cole took a deep breath and answered.  
"Yes, and until a year ago that is all I was. Probably all that you despise…Then something changed for me. For the better…"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Cole hesitated again.  
"Maybe now is not the best time…What with the soldiers coming this way…"  
  
"We might not have many more occasions …"  
  
Cole looked away for a moment then he began.  
"First of all there are two things that you must know about me and maybe when you do, you won't want to hear the rest…"  
  
"I'll listen…"  
  
He smiled sadly then continued.  
"I know what you are…"  
  
Phoebe gasped, suddenly afraid of the implication.  
"What are you talking about?"   
  
"Don't worry; your secret's safe with me. I've had the same secret all my life…"  
  
Phoebe opened wide eyes.  
"You mean you're a witch?" Then she bit her lips, realizing that she told him before he had.  
  
Cole didn't seem to notice her embarrassment:  
"Yes I am and I know that you can move objects with your mind, as I have been a witness to it…"  
He let it sink in, then went on.  
"Myself I have premonitions of the past and the future…And it is one of those that changed everything for me…The other thing is the one that I'm afraid you might find to be an obstacle between us… I used to live in the south. My father was a plantation owner as well, not as wealthy as your uncle but well off nevertheless."  
  
Phoebe didn't dare interrupting now; she had to know everything.  
"He made only one mistake, but one that was unforgivable by anyone around him. He fell in love with a slave…"  
  
And suddenly, she understood.  
"You mean you are?"  
  
Phoebe moved away ever so slightly but he saw it and it pained him…  
"Yes I was their son… I know that it doesn't look like it but well…And if you don't want to know the rest, I'll understand," he added, even though he had hoped that she would accept it.  
  
Then she surprised him again.  
She came to him and put a light hand on his face.  
"I'm sorry, it was just the surprise. After all you said to us…"  
Even the light touch of her fingers was enough to make his blood boil. He wanted nothing else but to take her in his arms and forget about everything else. However, he also wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any lies or secrets between them. As a matter of fact, what he had told her just then, he had not told anyone else since he was a child. Not even Matthew and his brother…  
  
"What happened then?" Phoebe encouraged him.  
  
"When I was about four years old, my father realized that there could never be any acceptance for me in this part of the country. The white people couldn't accept me as one of them, and neither did my mother's family. She had to give me up, and he took care of me the best he could. Then he decided to sell everything and move to the north, where he started a new life with me. Even there, he made me promise never to tell anyone about my mother. You have to know that in spite of the outrage toward slavery in the north, the people there are just barely more accepting of black people than the folks around here.   
I have lived most of my life in fear of being found out. I thought that anyone could see it in my face. However no one ever suspected and in the end I almost managed to forget myself. I went to law school and then prospered, as my father had wanted me to. He never knew my other secret, however. Myself I only figured out about my gift late in my teens. I'm ashamed to say that for a long time, I used it for my own benefit, using the money left to me by my father and making it profit with premonitions that I had. Throughout the years, I accumulated a considerable fortune, but I never had anyone to share it with…"  
  
"Never?"  
  
"No," Cole answered in a whisper…"Then last year, when I thought that nothing would ever change in my life, I had one very different vision… The news of the war was coming in regularly to Boston, but at the time I didn't think that it concerned me at all. One day that I was walking toward my office, a black man accosted me for charity and I saw, all of a sudden, I saw all the suffering of my people. The side of me that I had buried in my memory, it all came back to me. I felt their pain, their shame. I saw the way some of them were treated; worse than animals. Then I knew that I couldn't ignore this anymore. I took the black man home with me, where he told me how he had barely escaped with his life just so that he would be free. Afterward, I put all my efforts in finding others to help me save my people. And for the last six months, I have been doing just that. Matthew, here, was one of the first to join me in this quest. And at first, his brother seemed to be of the same mind, so I brought him along on this last trip. The rest you know…"  
  
Phoebe seemed lost in thought for a moment, and then she asked.  
"Why did you wanna buy our plantation? Was that all a lie too?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, I did want to buy it. Some of the slaves are still refusing to leave the south, as they consider it their home in spite of their hardship. Most have been born here, and they are afraid to leave. I just thought that when the war was over, it might be possible to give some of them a place to live. Pieces of this land that they would truly own…"  
Phoebe was overwhelmed by all of this and couldn't seem to say anything anymore.  
Cole feared that he might have told her too much and he held his breath, expecting her to run away at any moment.  
Phoebe turned to him, still hesitant.  
"Why did you tell me all this?"  
  
Cole sighed.  
"I told you that there never was anybody in my life, and there was a reason for it… I could never share my life with someone, while keeping secrets from her…"  
  
"You mean that you…"  
  
"I dared hoping…Phoebe I know that the circumstances are far from ideal, but I couldn't leave here without telling you how I felt about you, and…"  
He couldn't finish the sentence as she jumped in his arms and kissed him passionately to which he responded after the first moment of surprise. He couldn't believe that it was really happening. At this point he forgot all about the danger out there. However, Matthew brought him, and her, back to reality, when he called anxiously:  
"Sir, there are coming…"  
Cole signaled for Phoebe to stay behind, while he went beside Matthew and saw the same thing as he did…  
  
The group of horsemen that had been following them was entering the courtyard. The sergeant sent half of his men out with orders to search everywhere. Then he took the other half with him, now decided to search the house as well.   
They saw him go up to the door and hit it loudly with his fist. Inside the house, Victor was the first one to answer as he had fallen asleep in the study. He was in a daze and almost didn't understand what the soldiers were saying.  
"What are you doing back here? I told you that the ones you were looking for had not been here for two days…"  
  
The sergeant was not as polite this time.  
"We followed their tracks to your door, sir…"  
  
Victor couldn't believe this.  
"That's impossible, why would they come here rather than fleeing…"  
  
"Maybe they thought that you'd protect them?"  
  
Victor protested vehemently.  
"Never! You must believe me sergeant; we had nothing to do with those men's business. My family and I are faithful to the cause…"  
  
The sergeant was still incredulous.  
"We'll see, sir… now leave way. We will search your house and make sure that they're not here."  
  
Victor was tempted to protest but thought better of it. Besides, he couldn't believe that those men would be in his house. It had to be a mistake…  
  
Piper and Paige woke up at the first loud knock on the door but they just went to each other, hugging fearfully. At this hour of the night they could only assume they were somehow being invaded, particularly when they started noticing heavy steps, obviously from a number of people, coming from downstairs. A knock on their door had them jump again, but the voice reassured them slightly.  
  
"Piper? Paige? Are you ok?" Clay was asking. "Phoebe's not in her room," he added anxiously.  
  
Piper reacted at this and went to open the door for him.  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean she's not there, I just looked as I thought that she would be scared by all this agitation. Then I came straight to you. There are men downstairs; they seem to be searching the house."  
  
"What on earth for," she asked anxiously.  
  
Paige was now shaking all over. This was too much for her. She was still under the shock of her own tragedy and now this…  
  
"Piper," she called fearfully.  
  
"It's ok Paige, I'll take care of it; don't worry," Piper answered, trying to sound confident for her sister's sake.  
"Wait here, I won't let them near you, I promise."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Just wait for us, ok?"  
  
Paige was very worried but she agreed nonetheless and Piper closed the door behind her.  
She and Clay walked cautiously toward the stairs, reaching them just as two soldiers were coming up.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
She was somewhat reassured by the gray uniforms but still worried about their purpose.  
"Mam, we are looking for two fugitives whose tracks we followed all the way here…"  
  
"What are you talking about? There's no one else but us here…"  
Then a thought struck both Clay and Piper almost at the same time.  
Phoebe was gone and the fugitives had come here…  
  
A loud call from outside the mansion had the soldiers turn away. They went back outside, thinking that maybe the fugitives had been found.  
  
The sergeant went toward the paddock one of his men had called from. The man had gone inside the paddock, checking on the horses to find two of them with a lather of sweat that spoke of a long ride. He had then compared the markings on the horses and seen immediately that those were not the same as the others.  
He told the sergeant of his finding and this one didn't lose time answering his man, instead looking intently toward the stables.   
  
From their point of view, Cole and Matthew had realized the danger and were now trying to figure out a way to escape.  
Phoebe came to them.  
"There's a back door, we've got to go down… hurry…"  
  
"Are you certain that you want to help us? It might put your family in danger…"  
  
"I'm sure. Besides, you're in even more danger than we are… I'm certain that we can take care of ourselves, but if they find you…"  
She put her fingers on his face, caressing him anxiously and he took her hand in his to kiss it passionately.  
  
"Come on, there is no time to lose," Phoebe pursued, taking her hand away reluctantly. Then she went down the ladder as fast as she could, soon followed by the two men.  
She led them toward a small door that opened on another field. They could see underbrush lying some five hundred feet away and she indicated that they should try hiding there.  
Matthew started ahead but Cole still hesitated.  
  
"Go my love; I don't want you to die."  
He took a deep breath, barely believing her words and then:  
"What about you?"  
  
"I'll try to slow them down, don't worry about me. Please go…"  
Cole half turned, ready to go, but then he came back toward her and took her in his arms, kissing her deeply.  
"I'll be back for you, I promise," he said breathlessly.  
  
"I'll be waiting…"  
  
He gave her one last look, and then started running behind his friend.  
Phoebe quickly went back inside, trying to regain her composure. The soldiers entered the stables just at this moment, and she went to them, apparently outraged.  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
The sergeant came toward her, unimpressed.  
"I could ask you the same thing, Miss. Why are you here in the middle of the night?"  
  
Phoebe tried to sound as confident as she could:  
"If you must know sir," she started almost disdainfully, "I couldn't sleep because of the heat."  
  
The sergeant was still very dubious.  
"Do you often end up in the stables when you can't sleep, Miss?"  
  
"I can't see what business it is of yours…"  
  
"I make it my business when fugitives are found to have come all the way here… Ones that you're all suspected of helping in the past… We found their horses in your paddock…"  
  
"Whatever you may think, Mister, I'm alone here, you can see this for yourself…"  
  
"I intend to…"  
He turned to his men and ordered them to search the premises.  
  
Then, he observed her intently, but Phoebe managed to hide her worries from him.  
For a moment, she hoped that they would escape but an unexpected sound coming from behind the stables startled her.  
  
Cole and Matthew had almost reached the underbrush when a man had come out of it, gun in hand.  
It didn't take them long to recognize the newcomer.  
Matthew exclaimed:  
"Nicholas!"  
  
This one smiled joylessly.  
"Well what an unexpected pleasure. No let me correct that, I did expect it. When the soldiers left to go after you, I very much thought that you couldn't resist coming back here… So I waited and my patience has been rewarded. Now I will deliver you to them, insuring my revenge…"  
  
"Nicholas! You can't mean that!" Matthew uttered incredulously.  
  
"I thought you said that you didn't have a brother anymore? Well I took it and ran with it… I don't owe you anything. You betrayed me…"  
  
Matthew gasped. He couldn't believe how mean and heartless his brother truly was…  
  
Cole was trying to reach down to his gun but Nicholas was faster.  
"Hey don't try that… How does it feel to be on the wrong side of the gun, sir?"  
Cole just sneered at the young man but said nothing.  
"Turn around you two, the soldiers are waiting."  
  
Out of options, Cole and Matthew did as they were told and started walking back toward the stables. Cole thought of something.  
"You think that they will let you go? What about when the lady tells them what you've done? I'm told that this kind of indiscretion is harshly punished around here…"  
  
"That's not gonna work. After what I told them and much more than this, after finding out that they were hiding you, no one will listen to this lying whore…"  
  
Matthew felt rage mounting in him at the way he insulted her. Oblivious to his own safety, he turned toward his brother and charged him.  
Nicholas had not anticipated the violent reaction from his usually very calm brother, and he was caught by surprise. Matthew jumped at him and he lost his balance.   
  
Unfortunately, in the struggle, he also squeezed the trigger of the gun. The shot went wild, but it was enough to attract the attention of the soldiers to them…  
  
**************  
They heard the baby cry through the monitor and Phoebe stopped.  
"Oh, oh," she exclaimed, "time for a break."   
  
"Let me get him then you can continue this…"  
  
"Oh yes, don't leave us hanging there…"  
  
"Promise…" 


	11. Love Connections(11)

Love Connections  
Chapter 11  
  
"You know what? I think that I'll go see how Cole's doing, I need the exercise…"  
Phoebe got up and went out of the room without waiting for an answer.  
  
"It's amazing to think that those are not just stories, isn't it?"  
  
"It's nothing. Once, one of Phoebe's past lives took over her body… Now, that was freaky!"  
  
"Really? I don't think I'll ever be able to take it the way you do. It's all so weird…"  
  
Piper smiled:  
"Don't worry; I'm not exactly the poster girl for acceptance here. I tried many times to get away from all this…"  
  
"Seeing you now, I'd never have thought that."  
  
"I guess that becoming the oldest all of a sudden gave me a new perspective."  
  
A shadow crossed over Piper's features and Paige knew that the subject of Prue was still a painful one.  
"I'm really sorry about your," Paige hesitated, "our sister. The little time I spent with her only gave me an idea of how she was like, but I'm certain that I would've liked her."  
  
Piper smiled weakly:  
"She was really something. Pretty big shoes to fill..."  
  
"You said it!"  
  
"Don't worry; we'll help you. We, Halliwells, stick together."  
  
Then she continued more seriously.  
"You don't regret being here do you?"  
  
"Not for a minute. I'm so glad I've found a new family."  
  
Piper smiled affectionately:  
"And we're glad we found you…"  
  
Phoebe got in her son's room to find her husband playing with Jason…  
Cole turned to her.  
"Hey, was I that long?"  
  
"No that's fine; I just needed to stretch my legs…"  
  
"Well, he's ready any time you want." Cole said, becoming more serious all of a sudden.  
  
"Don't stop on my account; that looked fun."  
Then she came closer:  
"You're not mad, are you?"  
  
"What for?" He answered without meeting her gaze. Phoebe waited for the true answer.  
  
"Oh alright, I didn't like it very much, there I admit it. I don't like the way you look when you talk about that guy…"  
  
"What way?"  
  
"I don't know, different from when you talk about other guys. What was he to you?"  
  
"The operative word here is was. It was a long time ago, and I don't think about him anymore…"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Couldn't be more certain! I'm perfectly happy now," Phoebe said while wrapping her arms around his neck.  
They stared at each other for a long moment. Then Cole leaned to kiss her but he pulled back slightly, a little smile on his lips.  
  
"So, you're sure?"  
  
Phoebe chuckled.  
"You know what, I'm learning a lot about you tonight. Romantic… And insecure…"  
  
"Hey, don't mock me!" Cole protested jokingly.  
  
"Believe me, you've got no reason to worry about him. None whatsoever…" she replied, coming closer.  
  
The baby's cooing interrupted the moment and Phoebe sighed. Cole kissed her lightly and whispered:  
"Later…"  
  
Phoebe smiled and turned to Jason.  
"Hey little guy… you hungry?"  
She held Jason and they went back downstairs.  
  
Piper and Paige greeted them impatiently.  
"Hey, we were starting to believe you were not coming back."  
  
"Oh it's so much fun to be in demand…"  
She settled on the couch with the baby:  
"If that kid remembers everything he hears…Hey, he's special you know," she told Piper, who was looking at her with a teasing smile. "Well anyway, maybe I'll write them down for him, just in case." She continued, amused.  
"Ok now, are you ready?"  
  
"No, we're just dying of curiosity here… Yes, of course we're ready…"  
  
"Oh alright, I was just teasing you…"  
  
****************  
'Phoebe heard the shot and fear gripped her insides. She was already turning to run toward the back door when she noticed that the soldiers were not moving.  
That stopped her momentarily and she heard her cousin's call:  
"Phoebe, what's happening here?"  
  
Phoebe noticed Piper but didn't answer. Instead, she went out the back in a hurry, afraid of what she would find out there.  
  
Piper had reacted instinctively when, entering the stables behind the soldiers with Clay and her father in tow, she heard the shot. She had frozen them all, just in case, then noticed her distraught cousin. Now, she saw that she wouldn't get an answer from Phoebe and forgetting about Clay and her father, still frozen like the others, she went after her alone.  
  
Outside, Phoebe was running as fast as she could, and then she saw them…Apparently their escape had been cut short, as they were still only halfway to the underbrush, and now, there were three of them…   
  
In the field, the two brothers had started fighting fiercely, but when Cole tried to come to Matthew's help, Nicholas managed to get a hold of the gun at his belt. He pushed his brother rudely away and once more threatened them with a gun. The other two froze, discouraged…  
"Well, we're back to our business," Nicholas said a little out of breath.  
"As much fun as that was, it is time for you to face your judgement. Turn around."  
  
Cole and Matthew reluctantly turned back toward the stables, only to see Phoebe running toward them and then stopping abruptly. She took in the scene at once and decided to act. A simple hand gesture threw the gun out of Nicholas's hand and she started running toward them again:  
"Now!" She screamed.  
  
Cole looked back and understood right away. This time, he went after Nicholas himself. The young man was too stunned to defend himself, and he fell to the ground after the first hit, unconscious.  
Phoebe reached them, out of breath and she went to Cole directly, looking him up to find out if he had been hurt.   
"I'm fine Phoebe, the shot went wild…"  
  
She jumped into his arms and just stayed there, barely believing that he was fine, her heart still racing from the emotions.   
  
Then Cole wondered, as he was holding her.  
"How come the soldiers didn't come out?"  
  
Piper, who was coming up to them at last, answered for her.  
"I froze them… but it won't last forever…"  
  
Phoebe turned toward her, somewhat worried at her cousin's reaction. However, Piper didn't seem overly surprised, but rather concerned at the moment. Cole noticed her worried look and he pushed Phoebe away reluctantly.  
"Then we should go, we caused you enough trouble as it is…"  
  
Piper wondered why he didn't question her about the freezing, but now was not the time for inquiries.  
"That's not gonna work… They will unfreeze soon, and they heard the shot…"  
Phoebe suddenly thought of something. It was crazy, she knew, but might just be their only chance.  
"I think I know what to do…"  
  
They all turned to her curiously.  
To Cole, she asked:  
"Do you have a knife?"  
  
Cole looked at her in bewilderment.  
"What will a knife do to help us now?"  
  
"Trust me?"  
  
She turned to Piper.  
"Can you keep them frozen for a few more minutes?"  
Piper didn't exactly understand what she was trying to do but she acquiesced nevertheless.  
  
"Give me five minutes, and then you can free them…"  
  
"How will I know that you're ready?"  
  
"You will…" Phoebe uttered confidently.  
  
Then she turned her back to Piper.  
  
Piper went back to the stables, still wondering…  
  
Once inside, she watched the soldiers for any sign of movement but, to her relief, her power was stronger than ever, and they were still frozen in place.   
Just about five minutes later, her cousin entered the stables, out of breath, and relieved that she had been in time. She signaled that Piper should release them immediately. So she went back behind them and unfroze them in spite of her doubts…  
The moment they were free, they started toward the back door as if no time had elapsed, still convinced that they had just heard a shot…  
  
Piper looked anxiously toward her cousin but this one was already on her way out and still didn't give her any explanation. She went after her while Clay and Victor followed them, still unaware of what was happening…  
  
As she approached the scene, her confusion deepened…  
Cole was lying down in a pool of blood, apparently dead. One, it must have been Nicholas, was still unconscious, towered over by his brother, gun in hand. This one lifted the weapon in the air as soon as he saw the soldiers approaching, in sign of surrender.  
Piper saw her father's reaction just in time and took his arm firmly to keep him from running toward the young man. He looked at her in puzzlement, but she pleaded silently that he'd keep quiet. Victor seemed hesitant… However, he decided to trust his daughter's judgement and stayed put. Clay just watched in total bewilderment, particularly baffled by Phoebe's lack of reaction to the lawyer's death, but also by Piper's apparent lack of concern about the would be rapist in front of them. Unable to comprehend what he was seeing, he decided to watch and wait for the moment.  
  
Matthew started:  
"I got them for you; they're the ones I told you about…"  
Piper turned to her cousin again, but this one only had eyes for the soldiers and the one she still thought must be Matthew.  
  
The sergeant approached cautiously, gun at the ready.  
"Who are you?"  
The sergeant was looking from Matthew to the unconscious Nicholas very suspiciously.  
  
"Don't you remember me Sergeant? I'm Nicholas… I'm the one who told you about them… My brother betrayed my trust and I thought it my duty to deliver him to you; along with his accomplice. However," he continued rapidly, "this one attacked me and I had to shoot him. My brother, I managed to knock unconscious. He's all yours…"  
The sergeant was still not totally convinced.  
"But this one looks exactly like you, how are we to know?"  
  
Another voice answered this, one which made most of them turn in surprise.  
"I'd know…" Paige had heard the commotion outside and, at first, had been too scared to go out. Then, when no one came back, the worry for her family became stronger than her fear and she went out. She had come into the stables only to see the last of them going out the back and she followed them. Now, standing just a little ways behind them, she had been the one talking.  
"I know them well sergeant, and I can tell you without a doubt that this one is Nicholas, as he told you…"  
  
Matthew opened his mouth in surprise but thought better of showing his astonishment to the sergeant…  
This one turned to her halfway, still doubtful.  
"How can you be so sure? And besides, why should we trust you?"  
  
Paige came closer.  
"Because sir, I have only contempt for these other men, they attacked me a few days ago… And I can recognize the one who saved me without a shadow of a doubt."  
  
The sergeant looked at her more intensely.  
"Attacked you?"   
Paige lowered her eyes in shame, and the sergeant had no doubts anymore on what she meant.  
He cleared his throat, and then continued.  
"Well miss, at least one of them got the proper punishment and the other one will get what he deserves shortly, I promise you."  
  
Paige only nodded weakly without looking up. Her father came to her, just as confused as the others, but trusting that she knew what she was talking about. He had been about to protest the name confusion, but thought better of contradicting his daughter in front of the already very suspicious soldiers. Paige welcomed his protective embrace as she was trembling and it broke Victor's heart.  
  
Meanwhile the sergeant was now convinced that he had caught his fugitives and he gave the signal to his men to get the unconscious Nicholas. Then he turned toward the inert form of Cole.  
"About this one?"  
  
"Don't worry sergeant, our servants will bury him in some field later… All that matters is that they won't bother us again…"  
The sergeant nodded then turned to Victor.  
"About your family sir…"  
  
Clay interjected, surprising the sergeant who had not noticed him until that moment.  
"Sir? If you remember well, I'm the one who told you where to find them and I assure you, I have been a friend of this family for a very long time. None of them had any parts in this sordid business."  
  
Phoebe couldn't help the look of surprise and disappointment that appeared on her face, but fortunately the sergeant didn't notice.   
  
"I made a mistake, sergeant. I was so upset that I thought they were all in it as well. I was wrong…"  
  
"That still doesn't explain why they came back here…"  
  
Clay replied:  
"Maybe they realized that you were after them and changed direction? The fact that they found themselves here is easily explained, as the Leightons own most of the land surrounding the town…"   
  
The sergeant couldn't help but think that something was up with all this, but he was tired and convinced that he had the guilty party in custody. After a moment, he just turned his heels and signaled to his men that they were leaving.   
  
Matthew watched the soldiers going, carrying his brother, with mixed feelings. He had never meant for his brother to die even though now, it was the most likely outcome. The soldiers would never listen to him after this, and he would be executed for his crimes albeit with Matthew's identity.  
He was almost convinced that it was all over, when the sergeant's voice startled him.  
"As for you," this one called back, as if just remembering about him. After a long pause, he pursued.  
"As promised, you're free to return home, and may I suggest that you be diligent about it… We might not be so lenient next time…"  
  
Matthew took a deep breath and simply nodded in the affirmative.  
It was not until the soldiers had gone that Victor finally questioned.  
"What the hell just happened?"  
  
Nobody answered at first, until they heard the soldiers riding away.  
Then Piper chimed in:  
"I'd really like to know myself?"  
  
"I'll give you all the explanations in a moment but for now…"  
She went straight to Cole, while the others showed their impatience and slight surprise at her reaction.  
"It's alright, they're gone…"  
  
Cole opened his eyes and smiled:  
"You've got some guts my dear."  
  
Phoebe smiled back:  
"And you better remember it…"  
While getting up, he had to put his hand down and grimaced.  
"Well, I guess that it's only a small price to pay compared to what might've happened," he said, looking at the deep cut on his hand.  
  
"We'll take care of this inside."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Victor exclaimed. "He's alive? What in the bloody hell is going on here? I demand an answer…"  
  
"Dad, it's alright, these have helped Paige escape from her attacker, and if only for this, we owe them…"  
  
He looked at her with a frown.  
"But they're traitors, they…"  
  
"They won't stay long, Uncle. Please…" Phoebe pleaded.  
  
Victor was still not convinced, but Paige added:  
"Daddy, Matthew here…"  
  
"I thought that you said it was Nicholas?"  
  
"Please listen. He saved me, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. Could you let me repay this debt?"  
  
Victor was still unsure, but he backed down, as he could feel how much it mattered to his daughters and niece.  
Clay was about to protest himself but Phoebe came straight at him.  
"Why?"  
  
This startled Clay. "Why what," he asked, pretending not to understand.  
"Why did you give them away?"  
  
He babbled:  
"I gave them a chance to escape but…"  
  
Phoebe came closer, angrier now.  
"But what? You warned the soldiers of where they were going."  
  
  
"I only had your best interest at heart; you must believe me Phoebe. These men, either way they will soon be gone, and we're still gonna have to live here…"  
  
"You maybe, not me…"  
  
Clay was floored:  
"Where would you be going?"  
  
This surprised even Cole.  
"You can be serious, it's too dangerous."  
  
Phoebe turned to him.  
"I thought about it and I'm sure that I'll be safe with you. You're not leaving without me…"  
  
Cole was torn between the joy of having her with him and the fear of the dangers to come. They were not out of trouble just yet, although her brilliant idea had, indeed, made their escape all the easier.  
  
Phoebe saw his hesitation and she insisted.  
"I won't stay behind, not now."  
  
"Phoebe that's crazy…" Clay protested.  
  
Phoebe looked back at him with a determined expression.  
"Then I'm crazy… and happy about it…"  
  
Matthew and Cole stayed at the house for one more day, letting things cool off. Phoebe didn't have much more convincing to do, as Cole was too happy to know that she would be with him to protest any further.   
  
Clay still tried to talk her out of it, but she stood fast. The next evening, they were preparing to leave.  
  
"Can I try once more to stop you?"  
  
Phoebe went to him.  
"Clay, you betrayed my trust. You knew that no matter what, I didn't want him to get hurt and yet you did this terrible thing."  
  
Clay lowered his eyes in shame.  
"I'm sorry; I know now it was wrong. No matter what they are… I…"  
  
"I know… And that's the only reason why I forgive you."  
  
He looked back at her in surprise, as she pursued:  
"I know why you did it, and maybe if the situation were reverse, I might just have done the same. We were always alike, maybe a little too much. I still consider you my friend and when this war is over, maybe we still could see each other. I know that it's not what you wanted but…"  
  
"I suppose that I have to accept that…"  
  
Phoebe gave him a kiss on the cheek and she turned back toward Cole. They were almost on their way when Piper and Paige got out of the house in a hurry.  
  
"Hey you were not leaving without saying good bye, were you?" Piper uttered.  
  
Phoebe smiled warily at her cousin.  
"I wasn't sure if you really wanted to talk to me again…"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, we're cousins and I love you like a sister. And there's something else…" She came closer to Phoebe and lowered her voice so that only her cousin could hear:  
"Isn't it a little inappropriate for you to go alone with a man without…"  
  
Phoebe looked at her with a little amused smile.  
"You mean being married? Don't worry, I'll be good, and besides, Cole already asked me today…"  
  
"Oh, well then… I guess that it's good bye?"  
  
"I'll write, and as soon as I can, I'll visit. Hopefully this terrible war will pass you by and soon come to an end…"  
  
Piper smiled weakly.  
"I hope that someone is listening to you." They hugged affectionately.  
  
Then Piper went to Cole.  
"You'll take good care of our cousin will you?"  
  
"I promise you. And thank you. For your help, I mean. I wish that I knew how to repay you. I know that you did it for her, but it doesn't matter," he added quickly, as she was about to protest.  
Cole took her hand and a vision brought a smile to his face.  
"I think that I just figured out how."  
  
Piper looked at him curiously.  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Your husband's name is Leo, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes…" Piper trailed. "Why?"  
  
"Well, I think that you'll find that tomorrow morning, a certain Leo is coming home… And something else, I just saw this house standing intact for many years to come."  
  
"How would you know that? OH! That's why you weren't surprised by the freezing…" She exclaimed, as she understood. "For a while there I thought that Phoebe had told you…"  
He simply smiled.  
"I found out about her on my own."  
  
"You had many more secrets than one…"   
Meanwhile, Paige was standing back, unsure of what to say or do. Matthew came closer, still hesitant, but she couldn't look at him.  
"I wanted to thank you for your help last night…"  
  
Paige answered, whilst still looking away.  
"It was nothing, you saved me first…"  
  
"I can never tell you how sorry I am about what happened. It still hard for me to believe that my own brother…"  
He saw her discomfort and didn't finish the sentence.  
  
"It wasn't your fault, don't blame yourself. In a way, it was mine, for being so fickle. I should've known better than threat the both of you like this. And much more, for not seeing how dangerous Nicholas truly was."  
  
Matthew tried to protest.  
"No you…"  
  
Paige suddenly looked up.  
"It's ok, I will get better…"  
  
Matthew, seeing that the time to go was near, emboldened himself.  
"If I wanted to see you again…"  
  
"Maybe…"  
  
He took a step forward but she backed away instinctively.  
"I'm sorry, I know that looking at me…"  
  
"I'll need some time. However, I know your heart, and that is all I need to know who you truly are…"  
  
"Then, when this war is over, if I was to come back…?"  
Paige smiled weakly.  
"I think that I'd like that… a lot…"  
  
Matthew smiled sweetly, filled with hope, and then he went to rejoin his travel companions and they went on their way…  
  
Meanwhile, Nicholas had tried everything to convince the sergeant of who he was, but no one ever listened. That very afternoon, he faced the firing squad. His last words were:  
"I will come back, one way or another; I'll have my revenge…"  
  
*****************  
  
Phoebe stopped talking and the others looked at her curiously.  
"That's it? What happened next, did Matthew ever see her again?" Paige questioned.  
  
"Unfortunately, Matthew was killed when he went back on a mission a few months later. Paige always kept a place for him in her heart, sometimes telling her sister that she believed they would meet in another life… And I'm not making this up…"  
  
"No way?"  
  
Phoebe smiled.  
"Way…"  
  
"Unbelievable!"  
  
"You know what, I just thought of something…"  
  
Phoebe frowned:  
"What?"  
  
"I thought that what you did in the mausoleum…" He stopped, looking back at Piper with a little grimace…  
  
"Oh go ahead; it's ancient history, but I must say that it did sound very similar."  
  
Phoebe didn't need him to tell her what he was thinking about.  
"Well, all I can say is that a good idea is still a good idea…"  
  
Piper teased he.  
"Hum, hum."  
  
Cole looked at both of them, a little uncomfortable.  
"Come on, sweetie, she's just joking," Phoebe told him, then she turned to Piper, "aren't you," she added insistently.  
  
Piper just laughed.  
  
Paige was looking at all of them, unsure of what was the big deal.  
"What are you all talking about?"  
  
"Why don't I tell you all about it later…"  
  
Paige was still a little puzzled but she agreed to wait, as Phoebe was getting up, the baby asleep in her arms.  
"Time for this little guy and me to go to bed... I'm exhausted…"  
  
"Any more of those stories, for another night maybe?"  
  
"A few… Good night sisters…"  
  
"Oh Phoebe, I forgot to tell you, I left some folded laundry on my bed for you… I was about to give it to you this morning but…"  
  
Phoebe smiled.  
"No need to finish that. Thank you." She winked at her half sister meaningfully.  
She then went upstairs, soon followed by her husband. Then Piper prepared to leave, even if she was disappointed that her own husband had not showed up yet...  
  
Matthew was just now remembering the last time that he had seen her, as she had been all those years ago. Then, he had truly believed that he would come back and maybe have a chance at happiness with her. And now, there she was, not five minutes away. And after all these years, he could finally be with her. In that instant, all his doubts were washed away and he started the car…  
  
Jacob had not come back yet. Nicholas started to wonder what took him so long. "Could he have failed?" He asked himself. For a moment, he was tempted to go verify, but he feared that he would miss her. At least, he knew that the Elders would not be able to help Matthew. The spell he had used was preventing him from orbing, and from being detected by them. This, he was certain of. So he opted for patience. "If not this night, then soon, she will be mine…And I'll have my revenge on you, brother, at last."  
  
The Elders listened to Leo and Coleridge's account of the latest events with interest, although they had chastised them for their lack of prudence.   
"I think that we can go back to business," Leo assured them. "The threat has to be over now."  
One of the Elders said:  
"Then you might help us with another problem… We've lost track of Matthew…"  
  
"How's that possible?" Coleridge questioned.  
  
"We've not heard from him since yesterday in earth time; so we tried to find him a few hours ago. However, he has all but disappeared…"  
  
"Don't tell me that we've got another Whitelighter turning to evil; I'll never believe that of Matthew…"  
  
"We don't believe that either. However, something must've happened to him…"  
  
"We'll see what we can do." Coleridge assured them.  
  
The Elder nodded approvingly, and the two whitelighters orbed out. The first Elder turned to the other members of the council.  
"Should we have told them?"  
  
"If it's still possible, wouldn't we prefer that his watching them stayed a secret?"  
The other acquiesced warily.   
  
The Source had retired to his lair, convinced that, at the very least, he had gotten rid of the charmed ones' threat. It still annoyed him tremendously to have lost Belthazor in the process, and that is why the news that a darklighter had been vanquished, most probably by him, got his attention. He was not overly surprised, as now the former demon would indeed help the Elders. This annoyed him deeply however, and he decided to pay more attention to everything that pertained to the archangel and his entourage. Not to mention that he was still thinking of finishing the other witches, eventually… Who knew, maybe soon, he would find a way to get his revenge? 


End file.
